Seahawks Fear ACL Tear For RB Kenny McIntosh
The Seahawks continue to be plagued with injuries to its running backs room in 2025. After watching injuries limit Kenneth Walker last year and mar the careers of players like Rashaad Penny, Chris Carson, and others in prior years, the team now must deal with third-year back Kenny McIntosh, who reportedly may have torn his ACL today, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 
As a rookie out of Georgia, McIntosh came into the NFL attempting to make the roster behind Walker, Zach Charbonnet, and DeeJay Dallas, but a sprained knee in the preseason forced him to start his rookie campaign on injured reserve. He was activated from IR by Week 12 of the season but only saw special teams snaps his rookie year.
In Year 2, with Dallas having departed for Arizona, McIntosh became the clear RB3 behind Walker and Charbonnet. Even with Walker missing a few games early in the season, McIntosh was mainly seen as a special teamer, with Charbonnet handling bell-cow duties in Walker’s absence. It wasn’t until late in the year, when Walker missed a few more games, that McIntosh started getting some significant carries. He finished the season with 31 carries for 172 yards.
Coming into 2025, McIntosh was looking to retain his RB3 spot, holding off rookie seventh-round Miami rusher Damien Martinez. If today’s fears are realized, though, and McIntosh is forced to miss the season, it will give Martinez more opportunities to solidify himself as RB3 before McIntosh can come back for the final year of his rookie contract. Martinez’s only competition for snaps behind Walker and Charbonnet now are undrafted running backs George Holani (signed in 2024) and rookie Jacardia Wright.
Martinez will spend the next few weeks trying to secure a spot on the 53-man roster as the third running back on the depth chart. Meanwhile, McIntosh will be undergoing more testing in the hopes that his chance to defend his RB3 role won’t have to wait until 2026.
Titans WR Treylon Burks Suffers Fractured Collarbone
Heading into perhaps his most meaningful season, former-first round wide receiver Treylon Burks experienced a significant setback today. The 25-year-old, coming off a season in which he missed the final 12 games with an ACL injury, fractured his collarbone today on a diving catch, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. A recovery timeline will come after he undergoes further testing, but he’ll certainly miss the start of the final year on his rookie contract. 
2025 is set to be a contract year for Burks after Tennessee opted to decline his fifth-year option. His rookie year showed some promise through a bit of adversity. Catching passes in one of Ryan Tannehill‘s last two years in a Derrick Henry-heavy offense, Burks was the second-leading wide receiver on the team with 444 yards and a touchdown off of 33 receptions. His rookie year had potential to be more, but a turf toe injury in Week 4 of the season led to an inconsistent, 11-game campaign. Year 2 was more of the same as a preseason LCL sprain hampered him coming into the year. Missing two separate three-game blocks, Burks’ inconsistency continued to the tune of only 16 receptions for 221 yards in 11 games.
After letting injury derail his first two seasons before they really had a chance to get going, Burks was in a tough spot. New head coach Brian Callahan told reporters before the season that Burks would need to contribute on special teams in order to justify his roster spot. Burks was healthy heading into Year 3, but his usage and targets began to dwindle. In the week following a nine-snap offensive performance in a home loss to the Colts, Burks suffered a knee injury in practice that would be reported weeks later as a “loose ACL” that, ultimately, required season-ending surgery.
With injuries having defined his career thus far, it’s extremely unfortunate for Burks to suffer this injury today. Rapoport claims that Burks showed up to training camp “in great shape,” and we saw reports back in June that he looked ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation. The collarbone is, at the very least, a setback, as he’ll need to get back up to full speed in the midst of the regular season.
Burks already faced the challenge of trying to gel with a new passer in rookie quarterback Cam Ward. Burks was set to be the clear WR2 to Calvin Ridley after the team neglected to re-sign free agents Tyler Boyd and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. The Titans, though, imported a ton of competition in the offseason, signing veteran free agents Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson, drafting two fourth-round rookies in Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor, and even signing Ward’s favorite target in college, Xavier Restrepo, as an undrafted free agent.
With the influx of new talent and only $2.66MM in cash owed to him this year, there was a non-zero chance that Burks could fail to make the initial 53-man roster. Honestly, if he wasn’t going to end up making it on the team, this injury may have helped him stay on the roster with an injury designation.
The Titans will make their decisions on how to handle all of that business in the days and weeks to come, but in the meantime, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that former Raiders wide receiver Ramel Keyton is signing with Tennessee to fill in the spot vacated by Burks. Keyton made the Raiders’ initial 53-man roster last year, despite going undrafted out of Tennessee, with a stellar preseason. After failing to appear in the team’s first three games, Keyton was waived and put on the practice squad. He was signed back to the active roster again in Week 9, playing significant snaps on the offense that week, but spent the rest of the season mostly as a special teamer.
At 6-foot-3, Keyton brings size to the room as he heads back to the state of his alma mater. With the Titans off tomorrow, Keyton will join the team on Monday. Burks, on the other hand, will conclude medical testing and begin determining his path back onto the field. He has one more year to show Tennessee he can play up to his draft stock when healthy, he’ll just be doing so with a late start to his 2025 campaign.
NFL Fining 100+ Players, Several Team Employees For Profiting Off Super Bowl Tickets
The offseason of NFL administrative drama continues as the league is fining over 100 players and two dozen club employees, according to Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press. The fines are a result of violations of a league policy prohibiting players and employees in the NFL from personally profiting off of their league benefits at the expense of the fans.
The league benefit in question in this particular case is one that allows players on all 32 teams to purchase two tickets for the Super Bowl. It’s a perk outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but that same CBA prohibits league or team employees, including players, “from selling NFL game tickets acquired from their employer for more than the ticket’s face value or for an amount greater than the employee originally paid for the ticket.”
According to a league investigation, which is still in progress, “club employees and players sold their tickets to a small number of ‘bundlers’ who were working with a ticket reseller to sell the Super Bowl tickets above face value.” Club employees who resold their tickets will be forced to pay a fine of twice the face value of the tickets they purchase. Some of the club employees involved in the violation were reportedly coaches.
Players who resold their tickers will have to pay a fine of 1.5 times the face value they paid for the ticket. The players involved also will not be allowed to utilize their two-ticket allotment for the next two Super Bowls, unless they are playing in the game. ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Tisha Thompson add that players who decline to pay the fines could face a suspension from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, adding that several have already accepted the fines in order to avoid missing game time.
The league also warns that the ‘bundlers,’ anyone who directly sold their ticket for a profit, or anyone who “otherwise had a greater role” will face heavier penalties. In the announcement, no players’ or employees’ names were revealed. Ultimately, the league will enhance mandatory compliance training before Super Bowl LX to emphasize the rules and “the broader principle that no one should profit personally from their NFL affiliation at the expense of (the) fans.”
NFL Players Association Facing Potential Federal Probe Into Finances
The dust had barely begun to settle in the wake of Lloyd Howell and J.C. Tretter‘s resignations from the NFL Players Association. New leadership has not even been appointed. Still, controversy continues to toil in the players’ union as ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Kalyn Kahler report the existence of a federal criminal investigation into the NFLPA’s “potential misuse of funds and self-enrichment by union officials.” 
The news comes off of ESPN’s acquisition of a confidential document “marked ‘privileged’ and emblazoned with the union logo on each page.” The document was provided to several other sources and players and contains a memo drafted by a senior union attorney, titled “Crisis Management,” that outlines the scope of the investigation. The memo was provided to the NFLPA’s executive committee and player representatives earlier this week.
“Immediate threats” identified by the memo indicate how “potential action by the National Labor Relations Board over ‘unfair labor practices’ and a ‘lapse of fiduciary duty oversight practices during (the) Howell tenure'” could result in the union paying “direct or foreseeable pecuniary harms.” The document doesn’t identify which specific individuals are under criminal investigation, but Tretter denied being under investigation, while Howell did not respond to attempts by ESPN to reach him.
The document’s main point is summarized in this quote:
(The) government is watching (the NFLPA’s) response (and) could quickly ramp up and expand (the) scope of (the) existing (Department of Justice) criminal investigation. (The NFLPA’s) Board (and) Officers need to show (the) government (and) fellow union members that they are acting immediately to find out (the) depth of problems at (the) union (and) related entities.
Essentially, the document claims that eyes will be closely watching how the NFLPA settles on Howell’s successor. Howell’s appointment in the first place was the result of a 16-month process in determining DeMaurice Smith‘s successor, just for the former to resign disgraced by becoming “a distraction” because of his strip club charges to the union for over $3K and rumors of conflicts of interest and a culture of secrecy best represented by Howell’s confidential agreement with the NFL to keep the details of the arbitrator’s collusion ruling from the NFLPA’s executive committee and player representatives.
Howell has since resigned from his consulting role with the Carlyle Group, per Van Natta, and OneTeam Partners, a $2BB group-licensing firm co-founded by the NFL and MLB’s Players Associations on which Howell held a board seat, is under FBI investigation for its financial dealings.
NFLPA president Jalen Reeves-Maybin released a statement announcing the Association’s intention to hold a vote for an interim executive director earlier this week. Tretter was considered a frontrunner, along with NFLPA chief player officer Don Davis, before Tretter’s sudden resignation. Since then, several other names have been rumored as candidates.
Mike Florio of NBC Sports reported rumors of NFL Players, Inc. president Matt Curtin and NFLPA associate general counsel Chris Fawal being options. The document names Davis, NFLPA senior director of player affairs Lester Archambeau, NFLPA chief operating officer Teri Smith, former NFLPA president Dominique Foxworth, and Foxworth’s successor, former NFLPA president Eric Winston, as candidates, as well, in what it calls the union’s “triage plan.” Foxworth was also considered for the job during the 16-month process that led to Howell. ESPN even adds that multiple sources have identified Smith as the potential interim successor of his successor.
It’s believed that the 32 teams’ player representatives could choose an interim executive director as soon as this weekend. The document asserts that the interim director will serve as the “Triage Manager” and shouldn’t be required to abstain from running for the permanent job whenever that election occurs.
The document ultimately makes several other opinionated claims like the possibility that players may sue the union for the January collusion decision situation or that there should be improved oversight of an investment advisor for the NFLPA’s discretionary funds. In the end, it maintains its main assertion that the NFLPA must take “prudent and definitive actions” to fill the “leadership vacuum” in order to avoid federally ordered, court-supervised oversight of the union as a result of a federal criminal investigation.
NFL Minor Transactions: 7/25/25
Friday’s minor moves as we head into the weekend:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Mello Dotson, OLB J.J. Weaver
- Waived (with injury designation): CB M.J. Devonshire
- Waived: OLB Amare Barno
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Winston Wright
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): RB Israel Abanikanda
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: WR JaQuae Jackson
- Waived: T Elijah Ellis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Reverted to reserve/PUP list: T Silas Dzansi
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Matt Landers
- Waived: WR Colton Dowell
Titans Signing OLB Jihad Ward
July 24: The Titans waived defensive tackle Keondre Coburn in a corresponding move, according to Paul Kuharsky. Head coach Brian Callahan indicated (via Main Street Media’s Terry McCormick) that he wants to give the team’s younger defensive linemen more reps in training camp.
July 23: A day after watching their free agent pass rushing addition Lorenzo Carter announce his retirement, the Titans have moved on a body to replace him. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, Tennessee is signing veteran outside linebacker Jihad Ward.
The Titans had been hoping that Carter’s veteran starting experience would help improve a defensive unit that tied for third-worst in the NFL in team sacks in 2024 with only 32. Losing leading sack-getter Harold Landry this offseason — they released him when they were unable to find a suitable trade partner for him — didn’t help much in that regard, and Carter bowing out before training camp even started made the team’s job of improving that much more difficult.
Ward’s never exactly been a world-beater, but his recent production is not all that far off from Carter’s. Both are on the larger size for defensive ends, as well, so Ward is a curiously fitting replacement for Carter coming in. Where Ward brings a bit more potential, though, is his ability to learn new systems. Whereas Carter had only played for two teams before signing with Tennessee, the Titans will be Ward’s eighth franchise, and he’ll just need a stint in Houston now to check the entire AFC South off his list.
A second-round pick in 2016, Ward never quite lived up to his draft stock. The 13 games he started in his rookie campaign were the most in any season of his career, and they didn’t result in a single sack. After a left foot injury held him out of 10 contests in his second season, the Raiders traded Ward to Dallas, but the team waived him in final roster cuts. He landed on the Colts’ practice squad but was signed to the active roster a little over a week later. In six games of play, Ward recorded three sacks, but an ankle injury ended his season early once again. Indianapolis re-signed him based on the potential he showed but ended up releasing him four games into the following season.
Over the next three seasons, Ward spent time coming off the bench for the Ravens and Jaguars, but in 2022, Ward signed with the Giants and earned a starting role on the defense. In two seasons with New York, Ward started 20 of 34 contests recording eight sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 22 quarterback hits. He spent last season with the Vikings. Ward only made two starts while appearing in every game, and though he only recorded one sack, he was constantly getting to the passer with a career-high 14 quarterback hits.
The starters for Tennessee will still be Arden Key and Dre’Mont Jones, and the team will still mainly be relying on Key, Jones, and Jeffery Simmons for their sack numbers, but Ward acts as a decent depth piece to a defense that needs it. At worst, he’s a pretty perfect plug and play in lieu of Carter.
Cardinals’ Rookie DT Walter Nolen Likely Out For Remainder Of Camp
The Cardinals have officially opened training camp and already the team is getting bad news on the injury front. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, rookie first-round defensive tackle Walter Nolen suffered a calf injury that will knock him out for most, if not all, of training camp. 
There are a few key points to this situation that make details very important. Rapoport reports that the injury occurred at the team facility, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter clarifies that Nolen was injured while getting ready for training camp, meaning he wasn’t participating in a team workout. Because of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, there are strict limitations on number of practice and rest days, daily time limits, and when practices can include equipment and contact.
The injury happening at the facility, with training camp having commenced, would in most cases be a clear-as-day football situation that would land Nolen on the active/physically unable to perform list. Schefter’s clarification, though, specifies that Nolen was reportedly training on his own in preparation for the start of camp. We’ve seen situations in the past where teams have argued about what constitutes a football activity, and with Nolen working out on his own, there’s a chance he may have been placed on the active/non-football injury list, on which he would not be entitled to receive his salary.
Instead, Nolen lands on the active/PUP list, per Rapoport, along with outside linebacker BJ Ojulari and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols. Ojulari is apparently still working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered a couple weeks into last year’s training camp, costing him the entire 2024 season. Nichols, at least, got to the regular season before suffering a season-ending stinger in mid-October.
Any of the three players will be able to come off the list by passing a physical. Nolen’s timetable for return, though, runs right up to the start of the regular season. He may be able to get better in time to play in Week 1, but most, if not all, of his rookie training camp will be spent recovering instead of getting adjusted to play at the NFL level. It’s an unfortunate development that may mean he has to ease his way into his rookie campaign, but it’s good news that there’s a chance he may not miss any games.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/25
With several training camps underway, here are today’s minor NFL transactions:
Baltimore Ravend
- Placed on active/NFI list: LB Jake Hummel
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on active/NFI list: WR Laviska Shenault
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Tre Swilling
- Waived: QB Ethan Garbers
Chicago Bears
- Released: S Tarvarius Moore
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed off waivers (from Eagles): DE K.J. Henry
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from active/PUP list: CB Micah Robinson, LB Quay Walker
Houston Texans
- Placed on active/PUP list: DE Denico Autry, DE Derek Barnett, C Eli Cox, DT Foley Fatukasi, DT Kurt Hinish, LB K.C. Ossai, RB Dameon Pierce, RB J.J. Taylor
- Placed on active/NFI list: CB Alijah Huzzie, RB Joe Mixon
- Waived: CB Keydrain Calligan
Los Angeles Chargers
- Reverted to reserve/PUP list: T Savion Washington
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on active/PUP list: WR Tru Edwards, TE Mark Redman
New England Patriots
- Activated from active/PUP list: LB Jahlani Tavai
- Activated from active/NFI list: CB Carlton Davis, WR Jeremiah Webb
New York Giants
- Reverted to reserve/PUP list: S Anthony Johnson
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Samuel Jackson
- Activated from active/NFI list: LB Aaron Smith
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Joe Evans
- Placed on active/PUP list: LB Nakobe Dean
- Waived (with injury designation): OL Marcus Tate
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on active/NFI list: DT Johnathan Hankins
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Timmy Horne, RB Jermar Jefferson
- Place on IR: QB Will Levis (story)
- Placed on reserve/retired list: OLB Lorenzo Carter (story)
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR Tay Martin
- Placed on active/PUP list: G Sam Cosmi (story)
- Placed on reserve/did not report list: WR Terry McLaurin (story)
Houston fans may be discouraged to see a few big names on injured lists, but all is not lost. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that Mixon’s “medical outlook is positive” as the team plans to gradually increase his activity throughout camp. Likewise, Autry is expected to ease his way back into camp workouts, as well. Pierce, on the other hand, is expected to be ready to come off the list at the start of camp.
Per ESPN’s John Keim, Cosmi likely won’t see much time on the field in camp, but he appears to be hitting all the mile markers en route to being healthy for the start of the regular season. With McLaurin officially beginning his holdout yesterday, the team has made the corresponding roster move. McLaurin will rack up fines of $50K per each day missed, but if the team can come to terms on an extension, they can make sure those fines are nullified.
Broncos, OLB Nik Bonitto Working Towards Extension
PFR identified Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto as an extension candidate back in December, and three weeks later we saw reports that the team had interest. In May, it was reported that talks had begun with some anticipation of things heating up coming late last month. In the wake of his fellow 2022 NFL draftee George Karlaftis getting a four year, $88MM extension today, Bonitto gave reporters some insight on his own extension talks. 
In an interview with Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette, Bonitto responded to a question concerning the timing of when an extension may occur. “No time period,” Bonitto said. “I know these things can happen tomorrow or happen months from now. I kind of just keep it day by day and keep the focus on football.”
Karlaftis’ new deal puts him at 10th in the NFL in terms of average annual value. He hasn’t been a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but he’s been the top sack-getter on a Super Bowl team for the past two years, topping out at 10.5 in 2023 and 24.5 for his career. Bonitto’s output has been a bit different.
Playing behind Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, and Bradley Chubb in his rookie season, Bonitto became a bigger part of the pass rush once Chubb was traded to Miami midway through the season, though he was still coming off the bench. With only one start in 15 games, Bonitto only tallied 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, and three quarterback hits as a rookie. In Year 2, Bonitto benefitted from an early-season absence from Browning. With four starts in 15 games, Bonitto delivered a much-improved eight-sack performance with 13 tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hits.
2024 was the breakout season for Bonitto, though. Another early-season injury to Browning opened the door for Bonitto to work as a full-time starter, and when all was said and done, Browning was traded to Arizona, while Bonitto started the remainder of the season. On a defense that finished seventh in yards allowed, third in points allowed, and led the NFL in sacks, Bonitto has the leading sack-getter, logging 13.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and 24 quarterback hits, not to mention two forced fumbles, four pass deflections, and a 71-yard interception return for a touchdown.
With Bonitto’s clear upwards progression season after season, the Broncos would do well to lock him down for Karlaftis-esque numbers before he adds another 5.5 sacks to his prior year total and costs himself out of Denver. And they may do just that. Some have speculated, though, that Bonitto’s extension may come in a similar fashion as did Cooper’s last year. Cooper signed his four-year, $60MM deal in November, showing that Denver had no objections to working towards big deals midseason.
Based on Bonitto’s quote, he’s seeing the same things we are. Like Karlaftis’ deal, Bonitto offers that an extension could “happen tomorrow.” Or like Cooper’s deal, an extension could “happen months from now.”
Bengals Sign 3, Cut 2 Days Before Training Camp
We saw reports earlier today that, following a large workout including such players as C.J. Beathard, Tyler Huntley, and more, the Bengals signed quarterback Desmond Ridder. When the team announced the move later on in the day, they disclosed several other transactions, as well, including the release of a player Ridder was expected to compete with this summer. 
While it was initially thought that Ridder would be battling incumbent quarterback Logan Woodside for the QB3 role behind Joe Burrow and Jake Browning, Woodside was one of the players released today in Cincinnati. A seventh-round pick for the Bengals back in 2018, Woodside failed to make the initial 53-man roster in his rookie year and opted to sign to the Titans’ practice squad. In five seasons with the Titans, two with the Falcons, and last year back with the Bengals, Woodside has only attempted seven passes in his NFL career. With Woodside out, if Ridder is competing for anything, it’s the QB2 role.
The other player removed from the roster was offensive guard Tashawn Manning, an undrafted player that originally signed with the Ravens out of Kentucky in 2023. He spent his rookie season on the practice squad in Baltimore, and after getting waived in final roster cuts again in 2024, he opted to sign to the Bengals’ p-squad. After failing to make it to a gameday roster for the second year in a row, Manning signed a reserve/futures deal with Cincinnati, but today he heads back to the waiver wire.
Of the three new players joining Ridder as signees today, the most notable is veteran defensive tackle Taven Bryan. The Bengals’ defense largely cost them in 2024, as they missed the playoffs despite huge performances from Burrow and the offense. With uncertainty continuing to surround the situation with No. 17 overall pick Shemar Stewart, the addition of Bryan and fellow defensive tackle McTelvin Agim could be a form of insurance.
Bryan, a first-round pick for the Jaguars back in 2018, has had an up-and-down career through seven years in the league. After limited time off the bench in his rookie season, Bryan looked the part in his sophomore campaign, starting eight games and logging career highs in total tackles (33), tackles for loss (5), and quarterback hits (9) that still stand today, along with two sacks. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him that year as the 23rd best interior defender out of 116 players graded at the position.
Since then, though, Bryan has never graded higher than 60th, per PFF. He started eight games again in 2020 before the Jaguars made him strictly rotational in the final year of his rookie contract. He signed a one-year contract with the Browns after that and started 16 games in Cleveland, posting a new career high with three sacks. He played the last two seasons in Indianapolis starting 13 of 34 game appearances for the Colts.
Agim is a former third-round pick for the Broncos that never really panned out. In his third year in Denver, he failed to make the 53-man roster and was released from the practice squad in December. Though he’s found practice squad spots throughout the AFC South in the years since, Agim has only appeared in one game over the past three seasons. Bryan’s signing has a chance to improve the team’s defense, and Agim adds some depth, but it’s hard not to read more into the signing of two defensive tackles amidst the Stewart controversy.
The last player added to the roster today was center Andrew Raym. An undrafted center out of Oklahoma last year, Raym made the Panthers’ initial 53-man roster as a rookie but was waived after appearing in only one game and signed to Carolina’s practice squad. He signed a reserve/futures deal with the team in January but was waived again in May. With undrafted rookie center Seth McLaughlin still working his way back from a late-season torn Achilles tendon in 2024, Raym will assist in camp as a third center behind Ted Karras and Matt Lee.