Latest On Texans’ Safety Plan
For the second time, after spending a season with the Eagles, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson only played three games with his new team. The first time, in Detroit, an injury in the second game of the season forced him to the sideline until the regular season finale. This year, Houston released the veteran defensive back and will now need to fill his role on the defense. 
According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, another veteran defensive back, M.J. Stewart will be the next man up at the position. A second-round pick out of North Carolina in 2018, Stewart started his career as a slot cornerback for the Buccaneers. He made six starts in his first two seasons but missed 11 games and was waived before the start of his third year.
The Browns picked Stewart up off waivers, and while splitting time at nickelback with Kevin Johnson, Stewart snagged the only two interceptions of his career. He stuck around with the Browns for the final year of his rookie contract, and Cleveland began to give him a bit of run at safety. Though he was still splitting his time between the slot and the defensive outfield, Stewart began to look more comfortable as a defender, grading out as the team’s third-best defender that 2021 season, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
As a free agent, Stewart signed with the Texans, and though he’s mostly been a special teamer during his time in Houston, when the depth piece did appear on defense, he was lining up the most as a safety. In those first three years with the team, he was always an available option to sub into the first team defense in case of injuries, and he was called to do so a few times. That’s why head coach DeMeco Ryans feels comfortable turning to him now, in the wake of Gardner-Johnson’s departure.
Stewart may not need to be relied upon for long, though. Veteran safety Jimmie Ward was recently removed from the commissioner’s exempt list as he distances himself from an assault family violence charge. Despite the removal, Ward still isn’t quite ready to return to the field as he remains on the reserve/physically unable to perform list following a pair of offseason foot surgeries. Per Wilson, Ward is expected to be ready to return to practice activities in the next few weeks, barring any disciplinary action on behalf of the NFL concerning the resolution of his legal situation.
Houston will add a bit of depth to the position, as well. Wilson reports that undrafted rookie Zion Childress has been signed to the team’s active roster off of the Cowboys‘ practice squad. Childress has been called up twice by Dallas as a standard gameday practice squad elevation but has only appeared on special teams, so far. With Stewart stepping into the starting role, Childress may stand to fill Stewart’s special teams role with an ability to step up, if necessary.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/24/25
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Released: RB D’Ernest Johnson, WR Anthony Miller
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB AJ Woods, WR Michael Woods
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DT Quinton Jefferson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: G Lecitus Smith
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Quintez Cephus
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Tim Jones
New England Patriots
- Signed: G Royce Newman, TE Gee Scott Jr.
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Kevin Austin
- Placed on practice squad/injured list: QB Hunter Dekkers
New York Giants
- Signed: OLB Tomon Fox
New York Jets
- Signed: RB Lawrance Toafili
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DE William Bradley-King, S Jaylen Mahoney
- Released: S Derrick Canteen
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: S Jerrick Reed II
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/24/25
Here are today’s midweek minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Signed from practice squad: FB Adam Prentice
Detroit Lions
- Signed from practice squad: TE Ross Dwelley
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on IR: RB Najee Harris (story)
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed from practice squad: DE Robert Beal Jr.
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed from practice squad: S D’Anthony Bell
- Placed on IR: FB Robbie Ouzts
Free Agents
- Suspended: WR Jahmal Banks
Prentice had been called up as a standard gameday practice squad elevation the maximum three times under a single practice squad contract. The Broncos may allow him to stick around for a bit, as he takes linebacker Dre Greenlaw‘s roster spot while he recovers on injured reserve, but they can always release Prentice and sign him back to the practice squad, resetting his elevation count back to zero under a new deal.
Ouzts heads to IR after suffering an ankle injury in the team’s win over New Orleans this past weekend. The fifth-round rookie out of Alabama converted to the position from the tight end role he played in Tuscaloosa, and he had started two of his first three games in the NFL in his new role.
Banks, currently a free agent, has received a six-week suspension from the NFL. Originally an undrafted free agent out of Nebraska, Banks spent the offseason in Baltimore before getting cut in the days leading up to the roster cut deadline.
Cardinals RB James Conner Out For Season
September 23: Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said on Tuesday (via Weinfuss) that Conner’s season-ending injury was actually to his foot, not his ankle.
September 21: In a close loss to the 49ers today, the Cardinals saw a core player suffer a season-ending injury. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Arizona running back James Conner will require season-ending surgery on his right ankle. 
In an extremely competitive matchup with the Niners today, disaster struck when Conner got twisted up while getting tackled. It was immediately apparent that the ankle injury was serious in nature as players from both teams took a knee, and a cart eventually came out to remove Conner from the field of play.
The speculation on the severity of Conner’s injury didn’t show much optimism. After a couple hours, ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss reported that a source had told ESPN that Conner’s ankle injury was “severe enough to end his season,” though an official prognosis had not yet been made. Schefter’s official breaking report followed 16 minutes later.
Today’s injury is yet another bump in the road for Conner, who has endured quite a few. As a junior at Pitt in 2015, Conner suffered a torn MCL and, during his rehabilitation process, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. After being declared cancer-free, Conner returned for his senior year and, though not as strong as his incredible sophomore campaign with the Panthers, it was good enough for him to be selected in the third round by the team that shares a stadium with his alma mater.
Injuries continued to dog Conner throughout his years in the NFL. Though, until today, he’s never appeared in a single-digit number of games over a full season, he’s never appeared in every game of a season. Out of a potential 135 games, Conner has been available for 110, making 84 starts over nine years in the NFL.
His production from season to season has always been a bit of a mixed bag. In his second year with the Steelers, Conner broke out with 973 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns in only 13 games, making his first Pro Bowl. In injury-shortened seasons over the remainder of his rookie contract, Conner didn’t surpass 721 yards or six touchdowns in either season.
In Conner’s first year with the Cardinals, Conner only started six of 15 game appearances and totaled 752 rushing yards, but his 15 touchdowns helped him to secure his second Pro Bowl bid. In the three years since, Conner has totaled 2,916 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns in 42 starts.
With Conner out for the year, the Cardinals will turn to second-year rusher Trey Benson as their new lead back. The former third-round pick out of Florida State only totaled 291 yards and a touchdown on the ground as a rookie, but through the first two games of the year, Benson was outpacing Conner 83 yards to 73 despite having 12 fewer carries — most of that yardage came in a 52-yard sprint.
Arizona also rosters Emari Demercado, who started two games as an undrafted rookie in 2023 and had 223 rushing yards behind Conner and Benson last year. They also roster Bam Knight, though he’s yet to be active for a game this year, and hold veteran rusher Michael Carter on their practice squad.
Chargers’ Najee Harris Suffers Torn Achilles
SEPTEMBER 22: When speaking to the media on Monday, Harbaugh confirmed (via ESPN’s Kris Rhim) Harris has indeed suffered an Achilles tear. His debut season with the Bolts has thus ended after 43 snaps. Today’s news will also obviously deal a blow to Harris’ market value next spring.
SEPTEMBER 21: Chargers running back Najee Harris appeared to suffer an Achilles injury in today’s victory over the Broncos, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That much was confirmed by head coach Jim Harbaugh after the game. Harbaugh’s exact answer to the media seemed to resonate differently with a couple reporters. 
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport had the most conservative report, stating that Harris was undergoing imaging but that there wasn’t “a lot of optimism.” Daniel Popper of The Athletic took Harbaugh’s comments a bit further, asserting that Harbaugh told them how “preliminary tests indicated a torn Achilles.” Regardless, both versions of Harbaugh’s comments point in the same direction, towards a likely lengthy absence for the veteran rusher.
Harris has been extremely consistent throughout his NFL career. A first-round pick out of Alabama in 2021, Harris started every possible game for the Steelers over the course of his rookie contract. After a Pro Bowl rookie campaign in which he rushed for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns (with 467 more yards and three more scores receiving), Harris’ next three season rushing totals of 1,034 yards, 1,035 yards, and 1,043 yards perfectly demonstrate that consistency. His touchdown totals in those three years of seven, eight, and six continue that trend, as well.
Harris was going to be hard-pressed to find that same consistency in Los Angeles. Signing with the Chargers on a one-year, $5.25MM contract, Harris seemed the apparent new starting rusher for his new team. Los Angeles drafting Omarion Hampton in the first round of the draft and a fireworks incident both threw a wrench in those plans.
The incident at a 4th of July event saw Harris sustain a superficial eye injury that would force him to open camp on the active/non-football injury list. Though he was activated in time for Week 1 of the season, Hampton was the one getting all the touches and experience with the first-team offense throughout training camp. It may have been that way regardless of Harris’ availability, but the injury guaranteed that Harris would be making up ground upon his return.
That appeared to be the case in the Chargers’ first two games. Through two weeks, Hampton has out-carried Harris 23-9, and Hampton’s snap share on offense (88) more than doubled that of Harris (32) over that time. Hampton will continue in that role as Harris is likely to miss extended time. No other backs have taken carries yet this season for LA, but fourth-year running back Hassan Haskins stands to step into the RB2 role.
The team also holds Kimani Vidal and South Dakota State rookie Amar Johnson on the practice squad. Vidal, a sixth-round pick for the Chargers last year, spent his rookie season on the team’s active roster and could be a candidate to move up to the active roster in Harris’ absence.
Commanders S Will Harris Suffers Leg Fracture
As the Commanders overcame one injury to tally a win this weekend, they unfortunately suffered another. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, safety Will Harris suffered a fractured fibula in today’s game. He’ll reportedly undergo further tests to determine the full extent of the injury, but a multi-week absence is likely and could lead to a placement on injured reserve. 
Harris is in his first season with the Commanders. A third-round pick for the Lions in 2019, the Boston College product immediately became a strong rotation piece in Detroit’s secondary behind then-starters Tracy Walker and Tavon Wilson in Year 1 and Walker and Duron Harmon in Year 2. By Year 3, it was Harris’ turn to start next to Walker, and in 17 starts, he finished second on the team in total tackles.
As useful as Harris’ versatility in playing snaps all over the field was, it also allowed him to be moved when new starters came in to occupy his position. This happened in 2022, when Harris was utilized more as a cornerback and nickelback after new additions to the roster put him fourth in the pecking order at safety. His role as a safety continued to diminish in 2023, and he saw severely reduced playing time overall on the Lions defense in his final year with the team.
Last year, Harris signed a veteran minimum contract with the Saints and won a camp competition for the starting strong safety job next to Tyrann Mathieu. In 13 starts with New Orleans, Harris had a resurgent season with 74 total tackles, five passes defensed, and an interception. Harris leveraged the strong year into a two-year, $8MM deal with the Commanders to start next to Quan Martin, replacing Jeremy Chinn.
The Commanders aren’t terribly deep at the safety position. Former All-Pro special teamer Jeremy Reaves holds the most experience in the group as an eighth-year veteran, but he hasn’t played significant snaps on defense since 2022. Percy Butler could step into a role as a starter that he held for most of 2023, but Butler fell down the pecking order at safety over the last year and a half. He’ll likely have to do, though, since Tyler Owens — an undrafted rookie last year who played solely on special teams — is the only other safety on the roster.
While Reaves or Butler fill in on defense, Washington will keep a close eye on Harris. If Harris’ fracture is minor enough, there’s certainly a chance that he’ll be able to make a return later on in the year. Until then, the Commanders will have to continue to overcome injury issues early in the season.
Giants K Graham Gano Injures Groin Minutes Before Game
The Giants may be working without their primary placekicker in tonight’s matchup with the Chiefs. Minutes before kickoff, kicker Graham Gano was seen heading back into the locker room before being announced as questionable with a groin injury, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic. 
New York does have backup kicker Jude McAtamney on the practice squad, but McAtamney is not active to play tonight. That would mean the likeliest option to kick field goals and extra points would be punter Jamie Gillan. Gillan is the field goal formation’s usual holder and return man Gunner Olszewski is the backup holder. One wonders, though, if part of Olszewski’s responsibilities as backup holder requires practicing on both sides, considering Gillan is a lefty.
Per a narrative timeline from Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York, Gano came back from the locker room with his helmet and started kicking into the net on the sideline. After a few kicks, though, Gano went to talk to a trainer, and Gillian began taking reps in the kicking net, leading one to believe that Gillan may be the man tapped to fill in for Gano if the veteran kicker truly can’t go.
Through one quarter of play, no field goals, extra points, or kickoffs were attempted by the Giants. It will be interesting to see if Gano ends up being inactive or if his absence affects the way New York calls plays in situations where field goals make sense. Whenever they do kick, it looks like the punter Gillan will be called on for the try.
Giants LT Andrew Thomas To Make 2025 Debut
Following rumors throughout the week that Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas may finally make his way back to the field again this season, the team officially announced that Thomas is active for tonight’s matchup with the Chiefs. The question remains, though, just how active Thomas will be. 
Thomas was limited to six games last season due to a Lisfranc injury, one which required a screw to be inserted into his foot. The screw has since been removed, something which caused a slight delay in his rehab process. Thomas also underwent an ankle scope this offseason, resulting in plenty of uncertainty in his regular season availability.
Thomas took part in practice for Weeks 1 and 2 but was listed as doubtful for both contests. With an increased workload this week, some optimism arose that keeping him off of any type of injured lists to open the season was, perhaps, a good move. While things were certainly improving, Thomas was reportedly still not at 100-percent health. This led to some speculation on what might be the best way to get Thomas back up to speed.
Yesterday saw reports that Thomas could certainly make his season debut tonight, but it may not be as a full-time starter. As he focuses on longevity on his way back, it had been proposed that Thomas may play in a rotation on the offensive line. Marcus Mbow has been helping to fill in on the blindside for Thomas and would likely be the one rotating with him at left tackle, especially considering that the team is not considering moving Mbow inside to guard with Thomas’ return.
Regardless of how much time he sees, the Giants will certainly be happy to get Thomas back on the field tonight. It will be interesting to see just how much he can go as he continues to ramp his way back up to full health.
Broncos LB Dre Greenlaw Lands On IR
Broncos veteran linebacker Dre Greenlaw was a known scratch to open up the season as he dealt with a quad issue, but with Week 3 about to be played out, Greenlaw is still nowhere close to coming back. Denver had been hoping to avoid placing Greenlaw on any injured lists, but it was forced to bite the bullet today and make the decision to land Greenlaw on injured reserve. 
The quad issue came about five months ago and has continued to limit the team’s offseason addition. Per Mike Klis of 9NEWS, the new target date for Greenlaw’s return is a Week 7 matchup against the Giants in mid-October.
It’s hard to say if he would’ve had to sit out that long regardless of when he was placed on an injured list, but by not placing him on IR sooner, the Broncos have ensured that Greenlaw will now miss almost half of the regular season. This comes after Greenlaw missed almost all of the 2024 season — an absence stemming from the Achilles tear he sustained in Super Bowl LVIII.
Denver gave Greenlaw a three-year, $31.5MM deal on Day 1 of the legal tampering period. The veteran linebacker kept his Broncos pledge despite a last-ditch 49ers push, but largely due to his 2024 absences, the longtime Fred Warner sidekick only received $11.5MM guaranteed at signing. The Broncos can get out of this deal for just $4.33MM in 2026 dead money by releasing Greenlaw before a $2MM roster bonus is due on Day 5 of the 2026 league year. As it stands, Greenlaw looks likely to need a strong second half to remain on this contract next season.
The Broncos returned a top-five defense but were counting on two starting ILBs coming back from injury. While Alex Singleton has returned to regular duty following his September 2024 ACL tear, Greenlaw remains sidelined. Denver has not made any linebacker additions in-season, relaying on 2024 Singleton fill-in Justin Strnad — re-signed in March — to take Greenlaw’s place. That combination did not fare especially well against the Colts in Week 2, and Greenlaw’s absence will likely continue to be felt moving forward.
The team could have some help by Week 5, with ILB Drew Sanders on short-term IR, but the oft-injured defender is not certain to be ready to return from foot surgery by then. Practice squad linebacker Garret Wallow will help provide some depth at the position as a standard gameday practice squad elevation for the second week in a row. Fullback Adam Prentice will also be elevated from the practice squad again.
This is actually Prentice’s third time getting called up as an elevation. Because of the three-game limit for practice squad elevations, if Denver would like to see Prentice in any more games after this, they’ll need to sign him to the active roster. After doing so, they can cut him after the game and re-sign him back to the practice squad, at which point he would be eligible for three new elevations.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/20/25
Here are today’s minor moves and Week 3’s standard gameday practice squad elevations:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: T Jake Curhan, DE Anthony Goodlow
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: G Brandon Walton
Chicago Bears
- Signed from practice squad: DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
- Elevated: CB Dallis Flowers, LB Carl Jones
- Placed on IR: T Kiran Amegadjie, CB Jaylon Johnson (story)
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: WR Kaden Davis, CB Dom Jones
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on IR: WR Jayden Reed (story)
Houston Texans
- Signed from practice squad: FB Jakob Johnson
- Elevated: CB Myles Bryant, CB D’Angelo Ross
- Placed on IR: CB Jaylin Smith
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: TE Quintin Morris
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: CB Kevin Knowles
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: WR Alex Bachman, CB Greedy Vance
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: LB Emany Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: RB Cam Akers, G Henry Byrd
New England Patriots
- Elevated: CB Kobee Minor, LB Mark Robinson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: WR Kevin Austin
- Elevated: DE Fadil Diggs, TE Treyton Welch
- Waived: TE Moliki Matavao
New York Giants
- Signed from practice squad: OLB Tomon Fox
- Elevated: DT Elijah Garcia, LB Neville Hewitt
- Waived: WR Xavier Gipson
New York Jets
- Elevated: S Dean Clark, QB Brady Cook
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: S Marcus Epps, TE Cameron Latu
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: RB Trey Sermon
- Placed on IR: G Max Scharping (story)
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: QB Adrian Martinez, WR Malik Turner
- Placed on IR: OL Spencer Burford
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed from practice squad: S Jerrick Reed II
- Elevated: S D’Anthony Bell, RB Jacardia Wright
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: T Tyler McLellan
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: CB Antonio Hamilton
- Released from reserve/retired list: OL Nate Herbig
There were some eyes on whether or not the Browns would add a kicker for the weekend after Andre Szmyt needed to undergo some MRI testing, but no such moves were made and Szmyt heads into the weekend without an injury designation. The team did report a workout with veteran kicker Matthew Wright, though, per Howard Balzer of CardsWire.
The 49ers will lose some additional offensive line depth as they place their intended swing tackle, Burford, on injured reserve. Additionally, with Martinez not getting signed to the active roster, it appears that injured starter Brock Purdy will not be active as an emergency option, as was rumored a bit yesterday. Purdy should be inactive as a result.
Herbig announced his retirement at the end of July after spending a good portion of the offseason with the Commanders. The 27-year-old was coming off a 2024 season in which he missed the entirety of the year with a shoulder injury. Washington’s release of Herbig from the reserve/retired list gives him an opportunity to sign with a new team as a free agent. There’s no guarantee that he’s headed anywhere specific, but he likely initiated the transaction in order to explore his options.