Today’s practice squad updates:
Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers
Detroit Lions
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Panthers’ Week 15 win over the Falcons brought the Patriots and Cardinals, who each lost, one game closer to the No. 1 overall pick. New England’s weaker strength of schedule provides keeps Arizona in the No. 3 spot, while Washington — weeks away from a likely full-scale reboot — has lost five straight to move into position for its first top-five pick since 2020.
Early reports have the Bears more likely to draft Justin Fields‘ replacement than trading a top pick once again, but the Patriots and Cardinals are still in the running for what could well be the Caleb Williams draft slot. Much less drama would emerge if New England claimed the top pick, as the Patriots would be expected to draft the top QB prize. Arizona landing atop the draft for the second time in six years could produce a derby, with Kyler Murray‘s contract difficult (but not impossible) to move for new GM Monti Ossenfort. QB-needy teams may well be hoping the Cardinals land one of the top two spots, however, providing a potential gateway to a trade-up for Williams or Drake Maye.
The Raiders’ 63-21 demolition of the Chargers slid them down six spots compared to their position last week. The Packers also climbed eight spots from their slot going into Week 15. Green Bay has not held a top-11 draft choice since it drafted B.J. Raji in the 2009 first round; that came on the heels of Aaron Rodgers‘ first season at the helm. Jordan Love‘s QB1 debut season could still produce a playoff berth, however, and the rest of the NFC and AFC wild-card races remain tightly bunched.
Here is how the 2024 draft order looks with three regular-season games to play:
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Los Angeles Chargers
With Keaton Mitchell done for the season, the Ravens are adding a veteran to their active roster. Gordon has spent the entire season with the Ravens organization, compiling 99 yards on 16 touches in two games. He’ll now have a spot on the 53-man roster for the rest of the season, serving as the team’s RB3 behind Gus Edwards and Justice Hill.
1:25pm: An MRI confirmed Mitchell suffered a torn ACL, Rapoport tweets. The news confirms he will be out for the year, though Rapoport notes a full recovery is expected.
9:47am: The Ravens became the first AFC team to clinch a playoff berth on Sunday, but the team lost another key offensive contributor in the process. Running back Keaton Mitchell is out for the remainder of the season, head coach John Harbaugh said after the game. 
Harbaugh also indicated, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, that Mitchell will require surgery due to the “serious” knee injury he suffered in the fourth quarter of last night’s game (video link). Rapoport notes Mitchell’s availability for the beginning of the 2024 campaign could be in the air, but in any case, his absence will be acutely felt for the remainder of the current season.
Mitchell joined Baltimore as a UDFA this spring, and he was unable to find playing time for the early portion of the season. The Ravens’ backfield suffered a blow in Week 1 when starter J.K. Dobbins tore his Achilles, however, which helped pave the way for Mitchell to carve out a role for himself. The 21-year-old recorded at least eight carries in five of his six appearances once he found himself in the lineup, showcasing an explosive ability and impressive speed.
The East Carolina product recorded 396 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 47 carries, good for an average of 8.4 yards per carry. Mitchell also added nine catches for 93 yards in his brief stint as a focal point of the Ravens’ offense. Baltimore will still have a strong ground game in his absence, but losing Mitchell in addition to Dobbins and All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews (who is likely out for the rest of 2023) will deal another notable blow to the team’s skill-position group.
The Ravens will move forward with Gus Edwards and Justice Hill atop the RB depth chart. The pair rank second and fourth on the team in rushing, respectively, and they are now in line to see their workloads increase. Baltimore will add Melvin Gordon to the active roster from the practice squad, Harbaugh added (via Rapoport’s colleague Mike Garafolo). The veteran has logged 13 carries across two games this season, his first with the team.
With quarterback Lamar Jackson leading the way, the Ravens own the league’s top rushing attack (averaging 164 yards per game on the ground). With Mitchell no longer in the picture, though, it will be interesting to see if they can maintain a strong ground game through the rest of December and into the postseason.
Today’s minor transactions and standard gameday elevations for the Sunday slate of games:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
New York Jets
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
Wilkinson returned to practice this week, and will be eligible to return to the lineup on Sunday given today’s activation. The addition of a starter up front will be welcomed by the Cardinals by giving them stability at the left guard spot in particular and by providing an upgrade in protection ahead of a matchup against the stout 49ers defensive front in general. The Cardinals now have four IR activations remaining.
Street was acquired from the Eagles at the trade deadline after he failed to find playing time this season. The 27-year-old has started all five of his appearances in Atlanta, however, racking up 14 tackles (including four for a loss) and one sack. Those numbers will help his free agent market this offseason, but a pectoral injury will sideline him for at least four weeks. If the Falcons fall short of the postseason, therefore, Street will not return in 2023.
McCain was a full-time starter with the Commanders over the past two seasons, but his release led to a one-year Giants agreement. The former fifth-rounder has 87 starts to his name, but he has been unable to carve out a role in New York’s secondary, playing only 19 defensive snaps. McCain has logged a 50% snap share on special teams, however, so his absence in the third phase will be notable if he is claimed off waivers or signed as a free agent by an interested team.
For what it’s worth, free agent linebacker Rolando McClain is officially available to sign after spending a total of almost eight years under an indefinite suspension from the NFL. Per ESPN’s Field Yates, the former No. 8 overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft had his suspension lifted by the league today. 
The former first-round pick showed a lot of promise coming out of Alabama a year early but saw his career derailed by a series of off-field incidents. These extracurricular activities, combined with an ineffectiveness on the field, led to the Raiders waiving him after the third year of his rookie deal. The Ravens signed him on a low-risk, high-reward one-year contract, but McClain would announce his retirement before the season began at the age of 23.
He was coaxed out of retirement a year later, when the Cowboys opted to obtain his rights from the Ravens in a trade, and McClain seemingly had an opportunity to revamp his career as he became a leader in Dallas. He received a four-game suspension for substance abuse issues in 2015, but overall, McClain had a productive two years on the Cowboys defense. That suspension would serve as a harbinger, though, as the NFL would levy a 10-game suspension for the same issue in the 2016 offseason.
Before McClain’s suspension could end, he failed a midseason drug test, leading the NFL to make his suspension indefinite. Reports were made that McClain’s struggles with addiction made a return to the NFL nearly impossible. Three years after the initial suspension, McClain was conditionally reinstated by the NFL, just to be released by the Cowboys and put back on indefinite suspension three months later.
That final suspension is that one that is ending now, after nearly four additional years. The transaction is largely nominal, as McClain is now 34 years old and hasn’t played football at a professional level in over eight years. His return in 2016 was nearly impossible; a return now, is even further from reality. As far as the NFL is concerned, though, McClain no longer resides on the no-fly list.
Two different teams have held the No. 1 overall pick in consecutive years since 2017. Amid a radical rebuild effort, the Browns carried the top pick into the 2017 and ’18 drafts. The Jaguars did the same in 2021 and ’22. It is possible the Bears will follow that up in back-to-back years. The big difference here would be the Bears traded the 2023 top choice and may unload the 2024 top pick for another windfall, depending on their evaluation of Justin Fields.
The Bears and Panthers’ March trade, giving Carolina access to Bryce Young, has become a seminal moment for both teams. As it stands now, Chicago holds two top-five picks. The Panthers are 1-12, giving the Bears a two-game lead on the Patriots and Cardinals for the top slot with four games left. Chicago finishing with the first overall selection, providing access to the quarterback of its choice, would create a big-picture decision for a Bears team that already passed on the 2023 quarterback class to stick with Fields — a QB the Ryan Poles regime did not draft. North Carolina’s Drake Maye has declared for the draft, while USC’s Caleb Williams is widely expected to follow suit.
A new Cardinals regime is also evaluating its QB, though Kyler Murray‘s $46.1MM-per-year contract (which runs through 2028) will be much harder to escape compared to Fields’. This creates an interesting scenario that will have teams who do not land two-two draft slots monitoring how Chicago and Arizona proceed. The Patriots are widely expected to pursue a quarterback in the draft, and they are likely to do so without Bill Belichick.
With gridlock forming in the AFC and NFC wild-card races, considerable movement will take place over the next month. The winner of the NFC South will likely lose several spots in the ’24 draft, as the Buccaneers did this year by winning the ’22 division title at 8-9. Here is how the draft order looks going into Week 15:
The Patriots have regularly passed quarterbacks through waivers to their practice squad this season, but they will bid farewell to one of those arms. Rather than sign Malik Cunningham to their active roster once again, the Pats will let him head elsewhere.
Cunningham will trek to Baltimore; the Ravens are signing the rookie UDFA to their 53-man roster, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. This will mark a reunion for Cunningham and Lamar Jackson. Despite the superstar QB being in his sixth NFL season, he and Cunningham were teammates at Louisville in 2017. Cunningham, who was at the ACC school for six years, redshirted during the ’17 slate.
As the Ravens add a quarterback, they will lose a wide receiver. Devin Duvernay sustained a back injury in Week 14, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports the former All-Pro return man will head to IR. Though, Rapoport adds the fourth-year wideout will not require surgery and is expected to be ready to return in the playoffs. Duvernay will be eligible for activation to start Baltimore’s playoff journey, whenever that point comes. But he is done for the regular season.
Emerging as an intriguing gadget-type player during the preseason in New England, Cunningham did not make the Pats’ 53-man roster out of training camp. The team took a chance on exposing Cunningham to waivers on cutdown day, waiving both he and Bailey Zappe. Cunningham indeed passed through waivers and stayed in Foxborough on the Pats’ practice squad.
Cunningham will join a Ravens team that has used a Jackson-Tyler Huntley QB depth chart for the past three seasons. The team now has four QBs on its active roster, with journeyman extraordinaire Josh Johnson still with the team. This could point to a versatile role for Cunningham, for whom the Patriots had designed special packages this season. Even as the Pats moved from Mac Jones to Zappe and designed a package of plays for Cunningham recently, the athletic rookie has played only six regular-season snaps — all against the Raiders in Week 6.
This move will ensure Cunningham stays on Baltimore’s active roster for at least three weeks, though Schefter adds it could be a play for next season as well. Given an original-round RFA tender this offseason, Huntley will be a UFA in 2024. Cunningham, 25, can be kept through the 2026 season before he hits unrestricted free agency. Though, it remains to be seen if the ex-Louisville star will pan out as a QB2 option.
A thinner Ravens wide receiver depth chart last year required regular Duvernay contributions, but Baltimore reloaded at the position this offseason. The team signed Nelson Agholor and Odell Beckham Jr. and drafted Zay Flowers in Round 1. With Rashod Bateman recovering from his 2022 foot injury, the Ravens have a solid top four at receiver. Tylan Wallace also became a memorable fill-in for Duvernay at punt returner, notching only the fourth overtime punt-return walk-off in NFL history.
While Duvernay caught 37 passes for a career-high 407 yards last season, he exited Week 14 with just four grabs for 18 yards. The former third-round pick had operated as Baltimore’s primary kick- and punt-return option this season. Duvernay, who is set for free agency in 2024, also finished last season on IR (due to a foot injury).
Additionally, the Ravens will use one of their IR activations on cornerback Damarion Williams, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec notes. The 2022 fourth-rounder played in 14 games as a backup last season but suffered an ankle injury this summer. The Ravens had expected Williams back around October. Regardless of the delay, the Houston alum will be in position to contribute. Williams will fill Mark Andrews‘ roster spot. The Ravens now have four IR activations remaining.
The Ravens’ secondary was shorthanded by the end of the team’s overtime win in Week 14. Safety Kyle Hamilton exited the contest due to a knee injury, and he could miss further time as well. 
An MRI revealed a Grade 1 MCL sprain, as first reported by Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report. That outcome means the worst-case scenario has been avoided, a positive sign for the 2022 first-rounder. Hamilton has been enjoying a breakout season in 2023, establishing himself as an integral part of Baltimore’s defense. ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes that Hamilton is considered week to week at this point.
When speaking on the subject, head coach John Harbaugh – who is known for having an optimistic outlook on recovery timelines – said Hamilton is day to day (video link). While the 22-year-old’s Week 15 availability will be worth watching as the week progresses, it would come as a surprise if he were to miss signficant time. That will be welcomed news for the AFC leaders given Hamilton’s versatility and production this season.
The Notre Dame product has logged triple-digit snaps at both safety positions in 2023, in part due to the time missed early in the campaign by Marcus Williams. With the latter back in the fold, however, Hamilton has increasingly been used as a slot corner. It is there that he has been used most frequently, and his flexibility has produced a noteworthy statline to date. Hamilton has totaled 69 tackles, three sacks, nine pass deflections and a pair of interceptions (one of which was returned for a touchdown) to date.
Those totals have produced a PFF grade of 81.5, which ranks seventh amongst safeties. Missing Hamilton for any game action down the stretch would thus deal a notable blow to the Ravens’ defense, a unit which has posted top-five totals in a number of categories this season. Both Williams and Geno Stone would be leaned on heavily on the backend in the event Hamilton were to miss Week 15.