Spencer Shrader Leading Colts’ Kicking Competition
After spending 2024 as a spot starter for three different teams, Colts kicker Spencer Shrader has firmly positioned himself to take over a full-time starting job this season.
Colts special teams coordinator Brian Mason indicated (via Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star) that Shrader has taken a commanding lead against undrafted rookie Maddux Trujillo in the team’s kicking competition. Shrader, 26, is expected to take every kick in Saturday’s preseason game against the Packers as well as most of the reps in practice moving forward, according to team writer Amanda Foster.
Shrader signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent last year but couldn’t beat out veteran Matt Gay for the starting job. He was activated as an injury replacement in Week 1, but Gay quickly returned to the field and Shrader was eventually released in October. The Jets signed him to their practice squad to kick in Week 9, and he replaced Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker in Weeks 10 and 11. Across his four appearances, Shrader went 5-for-5 on his field goal attempts with a long of 45 yards and converted all nine extra points. He landed on injured reserve towards the end of the season with a hamstring injury and re-signed with the Colts in the offseason.
The second-year kicker has outkicked his rookie competition thus far this preseason with an 87% conversion rate in training camp compared to Trujillo’s 78%, per Foster. Shrader made three of his four kicks against the Ravens in the Colts’ first preseason game with a long of 53 yards and a 52-yarder that bounced off the goal post. Trujillo didn’t attempt any field goals and converted his lone extra point. Shrader was also noticeably stronger and more accurate than Trujillo during a joint practice in Baltimore.
Clearly, the Colts’ kicking competition is Shrader’s to lose. If he can maintain his consistency over the next few weeks, he should enter the regular season with the starting job in hand.
Jets Work Out QBs C.J. Beathard, Nathan Peterman
With backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor out for the rest of the preseason, the Jets worked out veterans C.J. Beathard and Nathan Peterman on Thursday, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.
Beathard, 31, is a six-year veteran with 32 career appearances and a 3-10 record as a starter. He last played in 2023 for the Jaguars; in 2024, he spent a few weeks on the Dolphins’ practice squad before returning to Jacksonville. Originally a 49ers third-round pick in 2017, Beathard had a 12:13 TD:INT ratio in 13 appearances across his first two seasons and hasn’t risen above backup on a depth chart since.
Peterman, also 31, started his career somewhat infamously with 12 interceptions in eight games for the Bills in 2017 and 2018. The former fifth-round pick has since bounced around the league, appearing in two games for the Raiders (2020-2021) and five for the Bears (2022-2023).
Either would provide depth to a Jets quarterback room that will be without Taylor for a few weeks as he recovers from a knee scope. Justin Fields recovered from a toe injury to play 10 snaps against the Packers last Saturday, but the team will want to limit their starter’s exposure in the next two preseason games.
The two quarterbacks behind Fields and Taylor are Adrian Martinez and Brady Cook. Martinez went undrafted out of Kansas State in 2023 before dominating the UFL the following year. He then spent the 2024 NFL season on the Jets’ practice squad. Cook, an undrafted rookie out of Missouri, hurt his ankle in a joint practice with the Giants, but head coach Aaron Glenn downplayed the severity (via The Athletic’s Zach Rosenblatt).
Cook has since returned to practice, but the Jets may need to make a last-minute signing if he is unavailable to play in their second preseason contest on Saturday night. Otherwise, Fields would be a Martinez injury away from having to re-enter the game behind the team’s depth offensive linemen. If Cook is good to go, he and Martinez should be able to carry the load against the Giants after solid showings in Green Bay.
The Jets’ QB workouts could also be an exploration of their options should Taylor’s absence extend into the regular season. Rather than installing Martinez or Cook as the backup quarterback, they may prefer another veteran behind Fields, who has never played a full season in his four-year career.
QB Jordan Love Undergoes Thumb Surgery
Packers quarterback Jordan Love had surgery this week to repair a ligament in the thumb of his left (non-throwing) hand, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
“The surgery went well, and he’s in great spirits,” said head coach Matt LaFleur on Thursday (via TMJ4’s Ashley Washburn).
Love injured his thumb during the Packers’ preseason game against the Jets last Saturday. He still practice on Monday with his thumb taped, but he opted for surgery in an effort to get back to 100%.
“Dealing with injuries last year, I wanted to go into this thing feeling good,” said Love on Thursday (via Demovsky).
The fifth-year quarterback missed two games in 2024 due to a sprained MCL and played through a groin injury later in the season. This year, Love’s thumb injury came early enough in the preseason that he could go under the knife with plenty of time before Week 1.
“If this was in the middle of the season, probably would’ve been something we didn’t get the surgery on,” continued Love. “But with it still being early and I’m having time to recover and be fully ready for Week 1, the recommendation was to get the surgery.”
With a little over three weeks until Green Bay’s regular-season opener, Love’s timeline to recover from a procedure is tight, but doable for his non-throwing hand. Had this happened to Love’s right thumb, he likely would have been sidelined into the regular season.
Neither Love nor LaFleur committed to a clear return timetable, but both indicated that the 26-year-old quarterback should back on the field in some capacity next week.
Dolphins Never Wanted To Trade Tyreek Hill
A Tyreek Hill trade seemed like a distinct possibility in January when the star wide receiver indicated that he wanted out of Miami.
However, Hill never submitted a formal trade request to the Dolphins and the two sides smoothed things over. Since then, the 31-year-old has seemed committed to the team, though his name showed up in the offseason rumor mill.
However, the Dolphins “never showed any genuine interest in moving Hill during the offseason,” according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic. With the regular season only a few weeks away, it seems that the five-time All-Pro will stay in Miami for at least another year.
That’s not stopping teams from monitoring the situation, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). Hill is due a $15.85MM option bonus on August 31, per OverTheCap. If the Dolphins have any nascent desire to move on from Hill, it would be ideal financially – in terms of both cash and cap space – to do so before September.
Fowler also confirmed that the Dolphins rejected overtures regarding Hill earlier this offseason and admitted that persisting interest “could be wishful thinking.” Miami has an expensive roster and spent the offseason promising culture change, two signs that they intend to compete this year. Trading Hill would obviously deal a blow to their playoff chances, but their lack of depth in the trenches on both sides of the ball as well as a shaky cornerback room may already be insurmountable weaknesses.
Such a deal seems very unlikely to come together this late in the preseason and would probably take not only renewed, but heightened tension between Hill and the team.
Bills, James Cook Agree To Extension
9:54pm: Cook’s contract includes $15.28MM guaranteed at signing, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who adds this is an $11.5MM-per-year deal (as opposed to the $12MM number reported earlier). While Cook’s guarantee at signing is only 10th among running backs — behind three rookie deals — the full guarantees increase to $25.91MM by 2026. The Bills guaranteed $5MM of Cook’s 2026 compensation at signing; another $4.41MM will shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee February 9, 2026.
An important trigger on this contract comes on Day 5 of the 2026 league year, when Florio indicates $6.22MM of Cook’s $9.13MM 2027 base salary shifts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee. Cook’s camp did well to secure a year-out guarantee; the remaining $2.91MM of his 2027 base salary becomes fully guaranteed on Day 5 of the 2027 league year. Cook’s final $1.18MM in injury guarantees cover the 2028 season; otherwise, his 2028 and ’29 salaries are nonguaranteed. Cook’s four-year contract matches the term length of the Khalil Shakir, Terrel Bernard, Gregory Rousseau and Christian Benford extensions from the spring.
8:38am: The Bills have reached an agreement with running back James Cook on a four-year contract extension, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal has a base value of $48MM with $30MM in guaranteed money, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. Cook’s $12MM APY is the sixth-highest among running backs, and his guarantees trail only Saquon Barkley and Ashton Jeanty‘s rookie contract. He will now be under contract in Buffalo through the 2029 season.
Buffalo had been trying to extend Cook for most of the offseason. He publicly demanded $15MM per year, and negotiations stalled in the spring. The two sides appeared to be making progress on a number of occasions, including when Cook showed up for mandatory minicamp and took the field at the start of training camp.
However, Cook stopped practicing in early August, citing “business” as the reason and raising doubt that a deal would get done before Week 1. He returned to the field on Tuesday, a clear signal that he and the team were close to an agreement. Indeed, Bills general manager Brandon Beane confirmed that Cook ending his hold-in was a show of good faith that helped get both sides back to the negotiating table.
“Once we got him back on the practice field, we really worked hard,” added Beane (via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg).
Set to turn 26 in late September, Cook arrived in Buffalo as the 63rd overall pick in the 2022 draft. He spent his rookie year playing second fiddle to veteran Devin Singletary but took over the starting job in 2023 with his first thousand-yard season, plus another 445 yards through the air to reach 1,567 yards from scrimmage on the year. Last year, he saw a slight downtick in both rushing attempts and receiving targets as part of an overall reduction in playing time. Cook, however, led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns — no small task given Josh Allen‘s impact around the goal line — as the Bills deployed another high-powered offense after trading Stefon Diggs to the Texans.
Beane said that the Bills still believe that Cook is “a three-down type player” despite playing just 48% of the team’s offensive snaps last year, down from 55% the year prior.
“We think he could take more, but we also want to use our other weapons and keep him as fresh as possible,” continued Beane. “We think that’s the best utilization of him.”
Keeping Cook fresh in 2024 allowed him to rank sixth among running backs in yards per carry last season. He also tied Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs for the league lead with 16 rushing touchdowns.
Cook’s agent, Zac Hiller of LAA Sports & Entertainment, released a statement on his client’s behalf: “James could only envision himself as a Buffalo Bill. We are extremely thankful to the entire Bills organization and glad we could make that happen.”
Cook is now the sixth Bill to sign a multiyear extension this offseason, capping off an impressive string of signings for Beane and his front office. They made several tough decisions by cutting long-tenured veterans last offseason to free up cash and cap space to get their young core under contract. With that mission accomplished, the Bills will spend the next few seasons trying to get over the hump and finally bring a Super Bowl to Buffalo.
Saints OL Trevor Penning Battling Turf Toe
The Saints dealt with a boatload of offensive line injuries in 2024, and they have continued into this year.
The team has already lost Nick Saldiveri and Will Clapp to season-ending injuries, and now, Trevor Penning is dealing with turf toe, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.
Turf toe can cause lingering problems, and Penning has experience seeing a summer foot injury persist. Such an injury typically takes four to six weeks to heal, per Underhill, threatening Penning’s status for the Saints’ regular season opening on September 7.
After converting from tackle to guard hit offseason, Penning has been competing for the team’s starting LG job. Saldiveri’s injury gave Penning a commanding lead until he went down against the Chargers on Sunday. Penning has been available over the past two years, going as far as to start 17 games at right tackle in 2024. As a rookie, however, Penning suffered a torn foot ligament. Ironically, that injury was viewed as a bad case of turf toe at the time. Penning did not debut until Week 12 and only made one rookie-year start, altering his development during what became a failed Saints mission to have him replace Terron Armstead at left tackle.
The Saints have a few options to replace Penning. Dillon Radunz is listed as the backup left guard, but he took snaps at both tackle spots in the team’s preseason opener. Instead, it was Shane Lemieux and Kyle Hergel who filled the rest of the left guard snaps after Penning left the game. Given that Lemieux started four games for the Saints in 2024, he could be a trusted early-season option to fill in at left guard until Penning comes back.
New Orleans’ next two preseason games will be strong indicators towards their plans at left guard. If Radunz starts the game there, he will likely be the Week 1 starter if Penning isn’t available. If it’s Lemieux with Radunz still at tackle, the Saints may be planning to go with him in the short term and continue training Radunz as a swing tackle.
Penning, meanwhile, is entering a contract year after failing to live up to his first-round draft billing in his first three seasons. The Saints tried him at left and right tackle, but his tendency to lunge at defenders left the Division I-FCS product exposed against faster edge rushers. The team believes that his game better translates to the interior where his grip strength and power can really shine.
Ravens Hoping To Extend Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, Isaiah Likely Before End Of Season
The Ravens made a whopping 11 selections during the 2022 NFL Draft, nine of which are still in Baltimore and eligible for a contract extension.
First-round picks Kyle Hamilton (No. 14 overall) and Tyler Linderbaum (No. 25 overall) have emerged as priorities for the Ravens, along with fourth-rounder Isaiah Likely. The team is working on extensions for all three players and would like to get deals done before the end of the 2025 season, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
Hamilton will be the most expensive. The All-Pro will likely get a significant raise over the top of the safety market, which reached $21.25MM with Kerby Joseph‘s deal this offseason. The Ravens picked up Hamilton’s fifth-year option in May, locking him in for $18.6MM in 2026 and giving them an extra year to reach an agreement. They could even tag him in 2027 if necessary, but with considerable money committed for the team’s other stars – including $74.5MM for Lamar Jackson in 2026 and 2027 – an extension for Hamilton would help ease the immediate cap burden.
The Ravens declined Linderbaum’s fifth-year option, not because they didn’t want to keep him, but because the NFL groups all offensive linemen together when calculating fifth-year options and franchise tags. Linderbaum would have been owed $23.4MM in 2026, more than $5MM above Creed Humphrey‘s $18MM APY at the top of the center market. A tag is out of the question for the same reason, giving the Ravens six months to extend Linderbaum.
General manager Eric DeCosta hasn’t shied away from making the team’s star players the NFL’s highest-paid at their position, but the cap has gone up significantly since Humphrey signed his extension. Accordingly, Linderbaum may be seeking upwards of $19MM per year. The Ravens will be hoping that the potential for a hefty signing bonus will incentivize their Pro Bowl center into putting pen to paper on an affordable contract before he hits free agency.
Likely has emerged as an ascending offensive weapon, a favorite target of Jackson’s, and a clear successor to Mark Andrews in the team’s tight end room. The Ravens may want to make sure that his recovery from foot surgery goes smoothly before finalizing an extension. Likely’s market has been clarified by Jake Ferguson‘s $12.5MM APY deal with the Cowboys. Ferguson has more targets, receptions, and yards due to his undisputed TE1 status in Dallas in the last two years, but Likely has been significantly more efficient and effective in the red zone while playing behind Andrews in Baltimore.
The 25-year-old may not be able to break into the highest tier of tight end contracts without a full year as a starter, but he could come in around $14MM per year, which happens to be the same amount that Andrews commanded on his second contract.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/25
Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Kelly Akharaiyi
- Placed on IR: WR Trishton Jackson
- Awarded via waivers: OL Roy Mbaeteka
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: S Tre Herndon
- Released: TE Matt Sokol
Chicago Bears
- Waived: WR John Jackson, K Jonathan Kim
- Waived/injured: S Major Burns
- Placed on IR: CB Shaun Wade
- Signed: S Millard Bradford, CB Mekhi Garner, CB Kaleb Hayes, S Mark Perry
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DE Titus Leo
- Waived: WR Chase Cota
Denver Broncos
- Activated from active/PUP list: WR A.T. Perry
Green Bay Packers
- Awarded via waivers: WR Kawaan Baker
- Signed: RB Tyrion Davis-Price
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT Conor McDermott
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: LB Brian Asamoah
- Waived/injured: C Zeke Correll
New England Patriots
- Signed: RB Shane Watts
- Waived/injured: RB Deneric Prince
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Justin Rogers
- Waived: LS Christian Johnstone
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Alphonzo Tuputala
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: K Ryan Coe
- Waived/injured: QB Michael Pratt
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Khaleke Hudson
- Waived: LB David Gbenda
- Waived/injured: Anfernee Orji
Mbaeteka was waived by the Browns on Monday and quickly found a new home in Arizona. The Nigeria native has an international player exemption, per Howard Balzer of CardsWire, allowing the Cardinals to carry 91 players on their preseason roster. The exemption also makes Mbaeteka eligible to be an extra 17th player on the team’s practice squad.
Herndon, 29, will add some defensive back depth to Buffalo’s secondary. Interestingly, the Bills listed Herndon as a safety when they announced his signing, though the seven-year veteran has primarily played both outside and slot cornerback throughout his career.
Price, a 49ers third-round pick in 2022, has only played 105 total snaps in his first three NFL seasons. In Green Bay, he’ll fight for a roster spot in the Packers’ backfield behind Josh Jacobs, Emanuel Wilson, and MarShawn Lloyd.
Asamoah’s release by the Vikings was a bit of a surprise given that the 2022 third-rounder has appeared in 46 games over the last three seasons, primarily as a core special teams contributor. However, he had yet to develop into a reliable defender in Brian Flores‘ scheme and will look to compete for a role elsewhere.
Johnstone’s release signals that offseason signing Charley Hughlett will be the Eagles’ long snapper for the 2025 season.
Saints Lose OL Will Clapp For Season
The Saints have lost another piece of interior offensive line depth with center Will Clapp joining guard Nick Saldiveri on season-ending injured reserve, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.
Clapp, 29, is dealing with a Lisfranc injury, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. He was listed as the Saints’ second-team center on their unofficial depth chart; now, New Orleans will have to find a new backup to Erik McCoy.
The job will likely fall to veteran Shane Lemieux, who recently re-signed with the Saints after Saldiveri’s knee injury. Lemieux, currently listed as the backup right guard, started four games as the team’s center in 2024. A majority of his experience prior to arriving in New Orleans last year came as a left guard for the Giants, making the 28-year-old a valuable multi-positional backup for the 2025 season.
Clapp’s injury could also help second-year UDFA and third-team center Kyle Hergel make the 53-man roster. Even if Lemieux holds down the backup center role, his potential to be needed at guard may keep Hergel around as an emergency center.
The Saints also worked out a number of veteran offensive linemen, according to Underhill. including Cody Whitehair, Scott Quessenberry, and Nick Harris. However, New Orleans decided to sign a less experienced option in Mike Panasiuk, who also tried out on Tuesday. Panasiuk, 27, spent time with the Raiders, Panthers, and Colts as a defensive tackle before converting to center last year, but has yet to appear in an NFL game.
Clapp, meanwhile, will spend the season rehabbing his foot. Lisfranc injuries are notoriously tricky to recover from, so shutting him down this early in the year should give him a chance at getting back on the field in time for the 2026 season.
The seven-year veteran is in his second stint with the Saints after starting his NFL career in New Orleans as a seventh-round pick in 2018. He started seven games across his first four years with the Saints before signing with the Chargers in 2022 to back up center Corey Linsley. Clapp took over the starting job when Linsley stepped away from the field due to a health issue, but ended the season on the IR with a knee injury. The Chargers went in a different direction when replacing Linsley in the offseason, and Clapp signed with the Bills ahead of the 2024 season. He didn’t appear in a game until Week 18, when he started at right guard and played every snap.
In addition to placing Clapp on the IR, the Saints also waived tight end Mason Pline with an injury designation, according to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. With a third spot opened by waiving injured wide receiver Chris Tyree, New Orleans signed tight end Seth Green, defensive tackle Jayden Peevy, and wide receiver Roderick Daniels, per Terrell.
Chiefs S Deon Bush Suffered Torn Achilles
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said (via ESPN’s Nate Taylor) that veteran safety Deon Bush suffered a torn Achilles in a preseason loss to the Cardinals on Saturday night.
Bush was entering his fourth year in Kansas City and competing for a backend roster spot as a depth safety and core special teams contributor. He filled that role during the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl runs in 2022 and 2023, but only appeared in two games in 2024, both in the regular season.
Bush’s injury will also take him out of the 53-man roster competition with the Chiefs’ other depth safeties. Kansas City is returning 17-game starter Bryan Cook as well as nickel/safety hybrid Chamarri Conner with second-year Jaden Hicks and veteran Mike Edwards leading the reserves.
Given how often Conner drops into the slot, keeping Bush on the roster may have been appealing, especially given his NFL special teams experience that undrafted rookies Glendon Miller, Major Williams, and Jacobe Covington can’t match. Now, that trio might have a better chance of sticking around, though Kansas City could opt to carry an extra cornerback instead.
Bush, originally a Bears fourth-round pick in 2016, spent six years in Chicago with six starts on defense and a consistent role on special teams. The nine-year veteran will now spend the season on the sidelines as he rehabs from his injury and prepares for what would be his age-33 season in 2026.