Minor NFL Transactions: 5/10/26
Here are a couple rare Sunday NFL transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Brandon Walton
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Landon Young
- Waived: WR Mac Dalena
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Kadarius Calloway, OLB Yasir Holmes, WR Dean Patterson
After two years each with the Buccaneers and Panthers, Walton will remain in the NFC South following a successful tryout at Atlanta’s rookie minicamp.
The Jets let go of Dalena in order to bring in some offensive line depth. Young spent the past four years in New Orleans as a versatile backup option. Over the course of his rookie contract, Young made 12 starts in 56 game appearances. Those 12 starts included assignments at both tackle and both guard spots along the Saints offensive line.
The Buccaneers are rewarding Calloway, Holmes, and Patterson with undrafted free agent contracts after successful tryouts at their rookie minicamp. Calloway transferred around liberally over the past three years, spending time at Old Dominion, Cal, and New Mexico before finding his way to the NFL. Patterson, a Tampa native, spent four years at FIU before transferring to Georgia Tech for his final year of eligibility. Holmes started his collegiate career at Frostburg State but spent the 2025 season at Tarleton State.
Texans’ Second-Round DT Kayden McDonald Signs Rookie Deal
After the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft came to a close, rumors claimed that multiple teams were attempting to work their way up closer to the top of the second round. Houston was the first team to successfully do so, and today, they landed the signature of the player they drafted after trading up. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald has signed his fully guaranteed four-year, $12.9MM rookie deal.
After essentially redshirting in his first year with the Buckeyes, McDonald held a rotational role off the bench in the team’s 2024 championship run. 2025 was McDonald’s first and only season as a full-time starter, but the All-American defender showed enough in 14 games to prove he was NFL ready. The disruptive, explosive defensive tackle made plays all over the field for Ohio State, notching 65 total tackles, three sacks, and nine tackles for loss. He showed good production in the pass rush, but he really excelled as a run stopper.
McDonald was widely expected to be the class’s only first-round interior defender. He even attended the draft in person just to slip into Day 2 while watching Florida’s Caleb Banks and Clemson’s Peter Woods hear their names called in the first round. Sitting atop the board of best remaining players for hours, he clearly was seen as a priority for a few clubs. Houston’s efforts to move up came with an intention to get ahead of the Giants, who they thought might take McDonald as a replacement for Dexter Lawrence.
Stepping into one of the NFL’s top defenses last year, McDonald should have a chance to earn a big role on a defensive line that returns Sheldon Rankins and Tommy Togiai but lost Tim Settle to free agency. McDonald should be able to slot right in as the first interior defensive lineman off the bench and could find himself in a starting role if free agency takes another body away next year.
By landing McDonald’s signature, Houston has just cracked the seal on signing its rookie draft class. Here’s a look at the work that remains to be done:
- Round 1, No. 26 (from Bills): Keylan Rutledge (G, Georgia Tech)
- Round 2, No. 36 (from Raiders): Kayden McDonald (DT, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 59: Marlin Klein (TE, Michigan)
- Round 4, No. 106 (from Commanders): Febechi Nwaiwu (G, Oklahoma)
- Round 4, No. 123 (from Chargers): Wade Woodaz (LB, Clemson)
- Round 5, No. 141 (from Raiders via Browns): Kamari Ramsey (S, USC)
- Round 6, No. 204 (from Chargers): Lewis Bond (WR, Boston College)
- Round 7, No. 243 (from 49ers): Aiden Fisher (LB, Indiana)
New England Announces 12-Man UDFA Class
After a mostly routine first two days of the draft, a busy Day 3 gave the Patriots six of their nine draft picks. New England announced their undrafted free agent class yesterday, and the group-mix followed close with the team’s approach in the draft, with the exception of a handful of receivers joining in after the event. Here’s a look at the Patriots’ 12 undrafted signings:
- Tanner Arkin, TE (Illinois)
- David Blay Jr., DT (Miami)
- Channing Canada, CB (TCU)
- Nick DeGennaro, WR (James Madison)
- Kyle Dixon, WR (Culver-Stockton)
- Cameron Dorner, WR (North Texas)
- Kenneth Harris, CB (Oklahoma State)
- Khalil Jacobs, LB (Missouri)
- Jimmy Kibble, WR (Georgetown)
- Myles Montgomery, RB (UCF)
- JonDarius Morgan, G (UAB)
- Jacob Rizy, OL (Florida State)
From the reports we saw, the biggest UDFA guarantees went to the player from the smallest school. Out of the small NAIA school in Missouri, Dixon has reportedly signed a deal that includes $252.5K in guaranteed money, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Dixon entered college as a pitcher at Southern Illinois and Georgia-Gwinnet College before transitioning to football and transferring to join the Wildcats.
Blay arrived in Coral Gables after notching 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss at Louisiana Tech, his second school after transferring from West Chester. Though he wasn’t able to produce the same results, Blay started nine games for the Hurricanes as a nose tackle and a dependable run defender. Jacobs only spent two years in Columbia and didn’t establish a full-time role in his time with the Tigers, but his effort and passion helped him stand out as a leader and team captain on Mizzou’s defense, regardless.
Rizy is a really interesting addition here, considering he only started two of 11 game appearances for the Seminoles this year. After redshirting his first year in Tallahassee, Rizy started 10 games as a redshirt freshman at right tackle before swapping sides to start 10 games at left tackle the next year. Starting the year on the bench in 2024, Rizy knocked out the other three positions on the line, starting a game apiece at left guard and center before notching three starts at right guard to close the year.
FSU used Rizy as a sixth man along their OL all throughout 2025. His two starts were at right tackle and left guard, and he played significant snaps off the bench at center for one game, right guard for four games, and left guard for two more. Jaguars guard Patrick Mekari found a similar path to the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of California, and it will be interesting to see if Rizy can find a similar outcome in New England.
Saints Sign Second-Round DT Christen Miller, Complete Class Signings
This morning, the Saints secured the signature of Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. In signing their second-round pick, New Orleans has completed the signing process for its rookies from the 2026 NFL Draft.
Miller arrived at Georgia during a time of transition for the Bulldogs defensive line. Travon Walker and Devonte Wyatt had just departed as first-round picks, and Nolan Smith, Jalen Carter, and Jordan Davis were close on their heels. Miller redshirted as a true freshman, appearing in just four games behind the remaining trio. He wasn’t quite able to to seize one of the starting opportunities following their departures as Zion Logue and Nazir Stackhouse assumed the top roles and Warren Brinson held the DT3 role in what is usually a very active defensive line rotation in Athens.
In Year 3, Miller replaced the NFL-bound Logue in the starting group next to Stackhouse, but his first-team honors were offset a bit as Brinson outpaced him in play time and production off the bench. After Logue and Brinson entered the NFL as late-Day 3 picks and Stackhouse went undrafted, it seemed Georgia’s domination in DL production had come to an end, but Miller’s resurgence in his final year shows they’re not quite done yet. The Bulldogs moved Miller around on the line, but he excels in run defense. The stout, big-bodied defender is deceptively athletic, but his potential to play all three downs will depend on his coaching staff’s ability to develop his pass rush and his own ability to climb the depth chart.
New Orleans returns three starters along the defensive line in Bryan Bresee, Davon Godchaux, and Nathan Shepherd, and the team should return last year’s third-round pick Vernon Broughton after he missed nearly all of his rookie season with a hip injury. With so much depth and experience in place, Miller won’t be asked to shoulder a bigger burden than necessary as a rookie, but considering the play of the returning group left much to be desired last year, he should get every opportunity to earn a bigger role.
All that will develop over the next several months, but for now, here’s a final look at the Saints 2026 rookie draft class:
- Round 1, No. 8: Jordyn Tyson (WR, Arizona State) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 42: Christen Miller (DT, Georgia) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 73: Oscar Delp (TE, Georgia) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 132 (from Seahawks): Jeremiah Wright (G, Auburn) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 136*: Bryce Lance (WR, North Dakota State) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 172 (from Seahawks): Lorenzo Styles (S, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 190: Barion Brown (WR, LSU) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 219 (from Raiders): TJ Hall (CB, Iowa) (signed)
Titans’ First-Round WR Carnell Tate Signs Rookie Deal
Having wrapped up the signings of their late-round picks, the Titans turned their attention to their top overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Tennessee has reached an agreement with Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate on his rookie four-year deal worth $51.13MM. The No. 4 overall pick reportedly received a $33.65MM signing bonus on his fully guaranteed agreement.
Tate started his career with the Buckeyes coming off the bench as a true freshman, earning his first start in the team’s bowl game. As a full-time starter in Year 2, Tate finished third in all three major receiving stats, behind then-freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith and future first-rounder Emeka Egbuka, en route to a national championship title. In his final year of collegiate play, Tate finished second behind Smith with career highs in receiving yards (875) and touchdowns (9).
It was thought that the Titans would grab a pass rusher, if one of the top two slipped past Arizona, but when the Cardinals took the running back many predicted would end up in Tennessee, the team surprised by taking Tate. Opting to secure another new weapon for their No. 1 overall pick from last year’s draft, the Titans landed an athlete proficient in multiple areas.
With deceptive speed, Tate showed deep ball potential with nine catches of 40+ yards. Despite the fact that he routinely found the end zone from far out — his nine touchdown catches averaged 32.5 yards per reception — Tate’s size and length also make him a formidable redzone target. In 14 contested targets, Tate came down with 12 catches. He’s a savvy route runner, too. The only questions following him to the NFL have to do with his ability to play across the middle of the defense — something he was not asked to do much in Columbus — and whether he can produce as a main target as he finally steps out from Smith’s shadow.
Tate joins an impressively re-tooled passing attack in Tennessee. The Titans signed wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and tight end Daniel Bellinger in free agency to team up with last year’s impressive rookie pass catchers Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike, and tight end Gunnar Helm. Quarterback Cam Ward has a much-improved group that expects to see Tate starting alongside Robinson and a healthy Calvin Ridley.
After inking Tate, the Titans have two more high draft picks to sign before they wrap a bow on this year’s rookie class:
- Round 1, No. 4: Carnell Tate (WR, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 1, No. 31 (from Patriots via Bills): Keldric Faulk (DE, Auburn)
- Round 2, No. 60 (from Bills via Titans): Anthony Hill Jr. (LB, Texas)
- Round 5, No. 142 (from Jets via Ravens): Fernando Carmona (G, Arkansas) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 165 (from Bears via Bills): Nicholas Singleton (RB, Penn State) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 184: Jackie Marshall (DT, Baylor) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 194 (from Ravens via Jets): Pat Coogan, C (Indiana) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 225 (from Chiefs via Cowboys): Jaren Kanak (TE, Oklahoma) (signed)
Bills Sign Second-Round CB Davison Igbinosun
The Bills took a big step towards completing the signing of their entire rookie class today, inking second-round Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun to his four-year rookie deal.
After starting 10 of 13 game appearances at Ole Miss and earning Freshman All-American honors, Igbinosun entered the transfer portal when the Rebels chose not to bring back defensive coordinator Chris Partridge. After weighing his options, Igbinosun chose the Buckeyes over Michigan, Tennessee, and Rutgers. He would go on to become a three-year starter in Columbus, notching four interceptions and 19 passes defensed over his last two seasons.
At 6-foot-2 with length and a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, Igbinosun looks the part of an NFL cornerback, though he’s a bit on the lighter side. Even with a slight frame, he’s a physical defender who isn’t afraid to tackle. He has a tendency to make a little too much contact at times and will need to continue to develop some discipline at the next level of the game.
After rookie sixth-rounder Dorian Strong missed most of last season with a neck injury, the Bills relied on just three cornerbacks for most of their defensive snaps all last year. Only Christian Benford, Tre’Davious White, and rookie first-round pick Maxwell Hairston saw more than 20 snaps at outside cornerback for the rest of the season. Buffalo signed C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Dee Alford in free agency, but neither player adds much depth at the outside position after White’s contract expired. Igbinosun will team up with Benford, Hairston, and Strong to bolster that outside cornerback spot, and he could have an outside shot at starting in Year 1.
Here’s how the Bills’ rookie class signings are looking after securing the signatures of their top two picks:
- Round 2, No. 35 (from Titans): T.J. Parker (EDGE, Clemson) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 62: Davison Igbinosun (CB, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 102 (from Raiders): Jude Bowry (T, Boston College)
- Round 4, No. 125 (from Bears via Chiefs and Patriots): Skylar Bell (WR, UConn)
- Round 4, No. 126: Kaleb Elarms-Orr (LB, TCU)
- Round 5, No. 167 (from Texans): Jalon Kilgore (S, South Carolina) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 181 (from Lions)*: Zane Durant (DT, Penn State) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 220 (from Jets): Toriano Pride Jr. (CB, Missouri) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 239 (from Eagles via Jaguars, Browns and Bears): Tommy Doman (P, Florida) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 241 (from Bears): Ar’maj Reed-Adams (G, Texas A&M) (signed)
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/8/26
Today’s rookie signings from around the NFL:
Chicago Bears
- WR Zavion Thomas (third round, LSU)
- CB Malik Muhammad (fourth round, Texas)
- LB Keyshaun Elliott (fifth round, Arizona State)
- DT Jordan van den Berg (sixth round, Georgia Tech)
Cincinnati Bengals
- C Connor Lew (fourth round, Auburn)
- WR Colbie Young (fourth round, Georgia)
- T Brian Parker II (sixth round, Duke)
- TE Jack Endries (seventh round, Texas)
- DT Landon Robinson (seventh round, Navy)
Los Angeles Chargers
- T Travis Burke (fourth round, Memphis)
- S Genesis Smith (fourth round, Arizona)
- DT Nick Barrett (fifth round, South Carolina)
- G Logan Taylor (sixth round, Boston College)
- G Alex Harkey (sixth round, Oregon)
New England Patriots
- T Dametrious Crownover (sixth round, Texas A&M)
- LB Namdi Obiazor (sixth round, TCU)
- QB Behren Morton (seventh round, Texas Tech)
- RB Jam Miller (seventh round, Alabama)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- WR Kaden Wetjen (fourth round, Iowa)
- DE Gabriel Rubio (sixth round, Notre Dame)
- S Robert Spears-Jennings (seventh round, Oklahoma)
The Bears, Bengals, Chargers, and Steelers all broke the seals on signing their rookie classes today. Chicago only has to sign its three first-, second-, and third-round picks to complete the class, Los Angeles still has its three first-, second-, and fourth-rounders remaining, and Cincinnati has only two unsigned rookies from the second and third round.
Minor NFL Transaction: 5/8/26
Friday’s minor NFL transactions:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed off waivers (from Giants): LB Swayze Bozeman
- Signed: S Isaiah Nwokobia
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed off waivers (from Giants): DT Elijah Chatman
- Received international exemption: P Nik Constantinou
Denver Broncos
- Waived: T Marques Cox, OLB Garrett Nelson
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DT Smith Vilbert
New York Giants
- Signed: RB Damon Bankston
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Claimed off waivers (from Colts): LB John Bullock
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed off waivers (from Giants): WR Courtney Jackson
- Waived: WR Hal Presley
After the Giants waived Bozeman, Chatman, and Jackson yesterday, all three found new homes today on the waiver wire. Constantinou qualifies for the international exemption that allows him not to count against the team’s 90-man roster as one of several Australians who have found their way to the NFL as specialists. Lastly, Cincinnati, Minnesota, and New York all added to their UDFA classes today after Nwokobia, Vilbert, and Bankston went undrafted out of SMU, North Carolina, and New Mexico, respectively.
QB Jacoby Brissett Likely Trade Candidate With Carson Beck In Arizona?
After going 1-11 in 12 starts for the Cardinals in 2025, quarterback Jacoby Brissett has been staying away from team activities as he attempts to land a starter-level extension. According to NFL insider Jason La Canfora, though, Brissett will more likely end up being a trade candidate.
With Brissett in line for his second Cardinals season and a backup passer with starting experience in Gardner Minshew, many thought Arizona would spend the first year of new head coach Mike LaFleur tanking its way to as high a draft pick as possible in 2027 in an attempt to land the best of a better crop of quarterbacks than what was available this year. It was presumed that the Cardinals would utilize this year’s draft to bring in a number of strong supporting pieces to prop up their future rookie starter.
Instead, the team took an interestingly different route. When the Cards reportedly were unable to find an offer they deemed worthy of trading out of the No. 3 overall pick for, they opted to select RB1 Jeremiyah Love. They did get around to landing a plug-and-play starting guard at the top of the second round in Chase Bisontis, but with the first pick of the third round, the Cardinals shocked a number of analysts by drafting Miami quarterback Carson Beck, the third passer to come off the board in the 2026 draft class.
Though he heard his name called two rounds after first overall pick Fernando Mendoza, who beat him head-to-head in the College Football Playoff national championship game four months ago, Beck’s six years in college had some evaluators believing he was the most pro-ready passer in the class. Once Beck was wearing a red hat, an NFL general manager reportedly told La Canfora that Arizona would “move Brissett by the (trade) deadline.”
Even if Brissett isn’t traded away immediately, the theory seems clear. If this GM is correct, at some point, Beck would take over as the starter. As a third-round, pro-ready prospect with the top rookie running back and an improved offensive line, there’s a chance Beck could find success and show potential as the team’s future at the position. If such a hypothetical ends up being too far out of reach to become reality and Beck’s starting run leads them to a poor record and a high draft pick, then the Cardinals would be perfectly in line to draft a first-round quarterback in 2027.
Fueling that idea a bit further, recent whispers that veteran free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers may be considering Arizona as a future home appear to be nothing more than rumors. ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss reached out to a source recently to gauge the reality of this possibility, and his source claimed it was “not at all” real. If Rodgers stays away and Brissett gets shipped out, Beck may end up starting as a rookie as the Cardinals make moves to find their QB for the future.
Titans’ OL Far From Set
The Titans’ offensive line is most likely set on the outside with right tackle JC Latham and left tackle Dan Moore Jr. returning from last year’s starting lineup, and they’ll be joined by left guard Peter Skoronski, who had a breakout 2025 campaign. After the Titans released center Lloyd Cushenberry III and allowing veteran guard Kevin Zeitler‘s contract to expire, though, the other inside spots are far less secure at this point.
According to ESPN’s Turron Davenport, former Bengals starter Cordell Volson and 2025 fifth-round pick Jackson Slater will battle for the starting right guard job. Volson presumably has the inside track on the job after spending nearly three years as a starter on the left side in Cincinnati. He shouldn’t have any issue switching sides since he started games at left tackle, right tackle, and right guard in his college years at North Dakota State.
Slater’s collegiate experience at Sacramento State came all on the left side, as did his only snaps on offense for the Titans in his rookie year, which all came in a meaningless Week 18 matchup. Davenport believes Day 3 additions from this year’s draft — fifth-round Arkansas guard Fernando Carmona and sixth-round Indiana center Pat Coogan — could also factor into the competition of this battle. Carmona started three years at left tackle in Fayetteville before making the move to left guard for the Razorbacks, and Coogan started a year at left guard for Notre Dame two years before transferring to the Hoosiers.
Tennessee also signed interior swingman Austin Schlottmann back in early March, but he appears to be the favorite to win the starting center job — even though he has never held an NFL role as a full-time starter. Over his eight years in the league, Schlottmann has only started 18 of 85 game appearances. He started six games at right guard and one at center over three years in Denver, seven games at center over the next two in Minnesota, and four games at center for the Giants last year after only appearing in one game in 2024.
Schlottmann’s competition for the center job is currently former Bengal Trey Hill and Coogan. Hill, originally a sixth-round pick himself, hasn’t started an NFL game since his rookie year in 2021 and has only appeared in one game in the past three seasons — a three-snap special teams appearance in 2024. Coogan is joining his third team in as many years after transferring from Notre Dame to Indiana for a championship run last year. Following his season at left guard, Coogan started a season at center for the Fighting Irish before snapping the ball for a year to the Heisman-winning No. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza.
Despite Coogan’s success on paper, he was a Day 3 pick for a reason. With his general size and strength, he looks the part of an NFL center, but he projects as a backup early on, until he can be a bit more disciplined with his pad level. Hill has been relegated to a practice squad role in recent years, and it’s hard to picture him making Week 1 his first start in five years. The job appears to be Schlottmann’s at the moment.
The inside tracks for Volson and Schlottmann could be altered if the roster continues to change, and it doesn’t sound like the team is done making adjustments. Following the draft, Titans assistant general manager Dave Ziegler told the press (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk), “There’s a level of competition that’s still going to be taking place there…we’ll continue to look to improve. Free agency is over and the draft is over, but there’s still an element of different areas of the team we will continue to add competition to. Offensive line will be one of those positions.”
Having seen so little of a new group that has such limited experience, OC Brian Daboll is far from making any decisions. While he claims to like what he’s seeing from the guys that have come in and gotten to work so far, he knows they’re far away from playing meaningful football in pads, and they’ll learn more when those days come along. For now, they’ll continue to develop and compete, but concerning the starting five, “all that will play itself out come training camp,” as Daboll puts it.