Minor NFL Transactions: 12/4/25
Today’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: DE Isaiah Land
Houston Texans
- Claimed off waivers (from Bills): DB Ja’Marcus Ingram
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: DT Quinton Bohanna
The Seahawks moved on from Quinton Bohanna today. After getting into a single game with the franchise in 2024, the defensive lineman has appeared in five games this year, collecting three tackles in 32 snaps. As Michael-Shawn Dugar points out, the Seahawks now have two open roster spots, an indication that any of Julian Love, Jarran Reed, and/or Dareke Young could be ready to return to the active roster.
Isaiah Land was promoted from the Cowboys practice squad for tonight’s game. The defensive end is insurance for Jadeveon Clowney, who will be sidelined tonight with a hamstring injury. Land got into 17 games for the Colts between 2023 and 2024, collecting seven tackles and one sack.
Bills Claim CB Darius Slay
Like Adam Thielen, Darius Slay did not clear waivers. The 34-year-old cornerback will be heading to Buffalo after the Bills made a successful claim, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
The Steelers cut Slay on Tuesday, ending a short stint. While the 13th-year veteran is attached to a one-year, $10MM deal, the Steelers are responsible for most of it. They included an $8.75MM signing bonus in a deal carrying a vet-minimum base salary. The Bills will only be responsible for barely $370K on this claim.
[RELATED: Joey Bosa Expected To Miss Time]
At the very least, Slay will provide Buffalo with an ultra-experienced depth option. Slay’s 176 starts at corner rank just outside the top 20 at the position throughout NFL history. He started nine games with the Steelers but ended his tenure as a healthy scratch against the Bills. Pittsburgh replaced Slay with in-season signing Asante Samuel Jr. The Bills were not among the teams to host Samuel on a visit, but they will proceed with Slay as a late-season add.
Gunning for its sixth straight AFC East title, Buffalo has an uphill battle thanks to New England’s 11-2 record. The Bills sit 8-4 and need help even in the event of a win in Foxborough next week. The Bills made multiple moves at corner this offseason, drafting Maxwell Hairston in Round 1 and reuniting with Tre’Davious White. The latter has worked as the primary starter opposite Christian Benford, lining up in that role in 11 of the Bills’ 12 games.
Pro Football Focus has graded Hairston as the superior option, though his 188 defensive snaps do not qualify him as a regular. PFF ranks White 83rd at the position, as the former All-Pro’s second-stint form pales in comparison to where he was in his prime. The Bills have Benford and Taron Johnson as two of the better options at their respective positions, but the CB2 area has been a question mark since Hairston’s summer LCL injury kept him from debuting until late October.
In White (30) and Slay, the Bills now have two 30-something corners. The latter is one of the most decorated active players at the position. While Slay missed out on All-Decade acclaim for the 2010s, he is a six-time Pro Bowler and a one-time All-Pro. The 6-foot boundary corner started in two Super Bowls with the Eagles, making a big impact in 2022 and ’24.
The Eagles used Slay as their No. 1 corner in 2022 and kept him as a starter despite drafting Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first and second rounds last year. Slay played 81% of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps last season. This waiver claim blocks the Eagles of what could have been an interesting reunion.
Slay’s $10MM price in free agency suggested there would be interested teams following his Pittsburgh exit, and while it will be interesting to learn if anyone else submitted a claim, his Steelers work left plenty to be desired. PFF graded Slay 71st among CBs this year, and Pro-Football-Reference’s coverage metrics charged him with allowing a 75% completion rate as the closest defender — a sharp uptick from his 2024 number (54.7%).
A scheme transition will naturally provide optimism, as no two defenses are alike, and the Steelers giving him an 81% snap share does show a degree of dependability in Year 13. But this is obviously not a prime version of Slay the Bills are getting. The Bills have used some 30-somethings at corner under McDermott, who reunited with Josh Norman before doing the same with White. Slay joins Norman, Stephon Gilmore and Johnathan Joseph as the only corners 34 or older to see time this decade.
If nothing else, Slay provides the Bills with some high-profile insurance as they look to make an eighth playoff berth in the Sean McDermott era. Slay (28 career interceptions) said shortly after Super Bowl LIX he would likely retire after this season. The accomplished cover man now factors into a Super Bowl contender’s equation, making for an interesting career conclusion. Buffalo waived cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram to clear a roster spot. Ingram was a healthy scratch over the past three weeks.
Bills DE Joey Bosa To Miss Time
Bills defensive end Joey Bosa is expected to miss time with a hamstring injury, according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe.
Bosa went down in Buffalo’s Week 13 victory over the Steelers. The team hopes he only misses a game or two, but an extended absence is possible. It seems likely that Bosa will miss the Bills’ next game against the Bengals after he was a non-participant in Wednesday’s practice. He is also dealing with a wrist injury, per the team’s official injury report.
Bosa’s absence could be a significant loss for the Bills. He leads the team with five sacks – no other player has more than three – and eight tackles for loss. Those numbers represent somewhat of a resurgence for Bosa after he only managed five sacks and five tackles for loss in 14 games last season.
Bosa’s bounce-back campaign is also reflected in his stats and grades from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). His 41 pressures, 16.0% pass rush win rate and 90.1 pass rushing grade all lead the Bills; the last number ranks fifth among all NFL edge rushers.
Rookie defensive tackle T.J. Sanders will likely see more time at defensive end in Bosa’s absence, though he has been part of that rotation for the last several weeks. The second-round pick did not typically line up off the edge in college, but his athleticism makes it feasible in Buffalo’s 4-3 defensive scheme. In fact, two of Sanders’ last three games have featured his best PFF grades of the year. In those matchups, he lined up just once as a defensive tackle with 37 snaps at defensive end.
2024 fifth-rounder Javon Solomon, who has primarily featured on special teams this year, should also see an uptick in defense playing time. Buffalo may also consider calling up one of their three practice squad defensive ends – Morgan Fox, Andre Jones, and Shaq Lawson, but none have seen any in-game action this year. One could replace Bosa on the game day roster, but Sanders and Solomon will likely take on the lion’s share of the available snaps.
The Bills’ optimism about Bosa’s return timeline indicates that he is not a candidate to be placed on injured reserve, which would mandate a four-week absence not only from games, but also from practices.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/2/25
Twenty-one different teams made practice squad transactions on Tuesday. Here are the latest updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: RB Montrell Johnson, RB Sincere McCormick
- Signed: LB Eku Leota
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB William Kwenkeu, RB Jonathan Ward
- Placed on practice squad IR: LB Chandler Martin
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DE Andre Jones
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Jalen Kimber
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DT Simeon Barrow, G Jack Conley, RB Ahmani Marshall, LB Mark Robinson
- Placed on practice squad IR: DE Julian Okwara
- Released: LB Eugene Asante
Denver Broncos
- Released: WR Kyrese Rowan
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Shemar Bartholomew
- Released: CB Tyron Herring, WR Michael Woods
Houston Texans
- Signed: OLB Xavier Thomas
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: K Greg Joseph
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: C Josh Kaltenberger, OT Foster Sarell
- Released: WR Luke Grimm, OT David Sharpe
Los Angeles Rams
- Released: OL Wyatt Bowles
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: OL Kion Smith
- Released: OL Braeden Daniels
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: QB Desmond Ridder
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Beanie Bishop
- Released: RB Ian Wheeler
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Samuel Womack
- Released: WR Brandon Smith
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: DB Parry Nickerson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DB Daequan Hardy
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OLB Ja’Markis Weston
- Released: C Doug Kramer, WR Brenden Rice
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Owen Wright
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Kristian Wilkerson
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR Robbie Chosen
- Released: LS Zach Triner
With J.J. McCarthy close to a return from his concussion, the Vikings parted ways with Ridder. He was signed last week after McCarthy entered concussion protocol, but was not elevated to back up Max Brosmer in Week 13. That responsibility instead went to John Wolford, who remains in Minnesota.
Bishop was released by the Steelers at the beginning of November. After appearing all 17 games last year with a 50% snap share, he did not make the 53-man roster this season and remained on the practice squad. He will now join the Saints in the hopes of making his 2025 debut in New Orleans.
Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order
Week 12 saw the Giants become the first team in the NFL to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Based on Sunday’s results, another two teams from each conference saw their postseason chances officially come to an end.
The Titans, Saints, Raiders and Cardinals have now been eliminated as well. Attention in the case of those teams will increasingly turn toward the offseason. For some, questions about changes at the quarterback spot will be ongoing through the spring. Free agency is not expected to include many notable options, so the draft will be sought out in several instances as a means of finding a 2026 starter.
Of course, the incoming class of passers has largely underwhelmed this season. That has led to uncertainty regarding the ceiling for many of the top prospects at the quarterback position. Nevertheless, supply often outweighs demand at the top of the Day 1 order in the NFL draft. How things shake out over the closing weeks of the season will be key in determining which QB-needy teams find themselves in the best position to select a new QB1.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.
Here is an early look at the first-round order:
- Tennessee Titans (1-11)
- New York Giants (2-11)
- New Orleans Saints (2-10)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)
- Cleveland Browns (3-9)
- Washington Commanders (3-9)
- New York Jets (3-9)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-9)
- Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
- Minnesota Vikings (4-8)
- Miami Dolphins (5-7)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-6)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6)
- Carolina Panthers (7-6)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1)
- Detroit Lions (7-5)
- Houston Texans (7-5)
- Baltimore Ravens (6-6)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)
- Buffalo Bills (8-4)
- Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)
- New York Jets (via Colts)
- San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
- Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
- Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
- Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
- Seattle Seahawks (9-3)
- Los Angeles Rams (9-3)
- Denver Broncos (10-2)
- Chicago Bears (9-3)
- New England Patriots (11-2)
Bills K Tyler Bass Undergoes Surgery, Unlikely To Play In 2025
Tyler Bass landed on injured reserve shortly before the start of the Bills’ season. The veteran kicker is set to remain sidelined through the end of the campaign without seeing any game time. 
Head coach Sean McDermott said on Monday (via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg) Bass recently underwent surgery. As a result, his season has essentially come to an end. A lingering hip/groin issue has resulted in this absence, one which appears as though it will stretch through the playoffs.
As of October, McDermott was unsure of whether or not Bass would be able to suit up at any point in 2025. The team previously thought the ailment was improving, but in the end surgery has been deemed necessary. With the procedure having taken place, Bass will turn his attention to recovery in preparation for the 2026 season.
The 28-year-old has served as Buffalo’s kicker from 2020-24, missing only one game during that span. Bass’ field goal success rates have never topped the league, but they have remained consistent over the course of his career. Overall, the former sixth-rounder has connected on 84.5% of his field goal attempts and all but 10 of his 274 extra point tries. Bass is under contract through 2027 thanks to the $5.1MM-per-year extension he signed in 2023.
That pact does not contain any remaining guarantees in terms of base salary, however. Coming off a full season spent on the sidelines, it will be interesting to see if the Bills explore the possibility of moving on from Bass (or at least attempt to work out a pay cut agreement). In any case, his replacement will be counted on to continue handling kicking duties the rest of the way.
Matt Prater has operated as Buffalo’s kicker all season. The 41-year-old has already missed three extra point attempts, but with respect to field goals he has gone 17-for-19. No indication has been made that McDermott and the Bills are looking for another option at this point, so it will be Prater tasked with continuing his performance down the stretch.
AFC East Rumors: Robinson, Sanders, Bills
Last year, the Dolphins added first-round pass rusher Chop Robinson to their defense behind starters Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb. Chubb ended up missing the entire season with a torn ACL, pushing Emmanuel Ogbah into a full-time starting role. Phillips also suffered a season-ending injury a few games into the season, and while more experienced names like Quinton Bell and Tyus Bowser earned starts in place of Phillips, Robinson dominated the defensive snap share for the rest of the season.
Once Robinson started getting a lion’s share of the snaps on defense, he started to find his footing at the NFL level. After going sackless in his first seven games, Robinson tallied six over his next eight games. With Chubb, Phillips, and new veteran Matt Judon in place this year, Robinson’s time on defense has been limited again, and as a result, so has his production.
Robinson’s strong rookie stretch likely made Miami a bit more comfortable with trading Phillips away earlier this year, and according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, there’s a belief among the staff that making space for Robinson to get more consistent snaps will help him return to the form he showed midway through his rookie campaign. Now that he’s come back from a recent concussion, he’s starting to show exactly that. In today’s win over the Saints, Robinson logged 1.5 sacks, his first since Week 2.
Here are a few other rumors coming out of the AFC East:
- Also in Miami, Jackson reported last month on the status of veteran kicker Jason Sanders, who has spent the entire season to this point on injured reserve with a designation to return. Per Jackson, Dolphins special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman said he doesn’t know if Sanders is close to returning or even if Sanders will kick for the team at all this season.
- Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman appeared in his first game in three weeks today after being a healthy scratch in the team’s last two contests. Coleman’s healthy scratch against the Buccaneers two weeks ago was a disciplinary measure to punish Coleman’s recent tardiness, but per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic, Coleman’s healthy scratch last week against the Texans was not discipline related. Head coach Sean McDermott clarified that Coleman was scratch for that game because of the short runup to their Thursday night matchup.
- The Bills ended up staying put during the NFL’s trade deadline this year, but it was reportedly not for lack of trying. According to Tim Graham of The Athletic, general manager Brandon Beane was willing to restructure multiple contracts in order to facilitate trades. Beane and Co. had already reworked cornerback Taron Johnson‘s contract, and he arranged to have others ready to rework in case it may help move trades along. Unfortunately for Beane and Buffalo, though, calls on many of those players didn’t come until the day of the deadline, and deals that require a new contract are required to be done the Monday before the deadline, leading to the lack of action on that quiet Tuesday nearly four weeks ago.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/29/25
Here are Saturday’s minor moves around the NFL, including gameday elevations for the remainder of Week 13:
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: WR Deven Thompkins
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from IR: OL Tylan Grable
- Elevated: TE Keleki Latu, LB Baylon Spector
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: DT Sam Kamara
Houston Texans
- Elevated: CB Ameer Speed
- Placed on IR: CB Ajani Carter
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: DE Chris Wormley
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: DE Matt Dickerson, S Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: OL Atonio Mafi, CB Greedy Vance
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed from practice squad: RB Jaret Patterson
- Waived: OL Foster Sarell
- Elevated: RB Trayveon Williams
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: CB Dwight McGlothern Jr., QB John Wolford
New York Jets
- Elevated: DE Eric Watts, DB Jordan Clark
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: K Matt Gay, LB Jalen Graham
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed from practice squad: RB Myles Gaskin
- Placed on IR: RB George Holani
- Elevated: S Quandre Diggs, RB Velus Jones
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed from practice squad: QB Connor Bazelak
- Waived: RB Owen Wright
- Elevated: S Marcus Banks
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: WR Xavier Restrepo, CB Kemon Hall
The Vikings brought back Desmond Ridder as quarterback insurance with J.J. McCarthy concussed. Ridder joined the team’s practice squad, and he will not dress for Minnesota tomorrow. Instead, it will be Wolford handling backup duties while undrafted rookie Max Brosmer makes his first career start.
Diggs returned to Seattle earlier this week. The veteran will receive the opportunity to play right away during his second stint with the Seahawks. Diggs earned three Pro Bowl nods during his first run in Seattle, and he will look to provide depth in the secondary with a familiar team down the stretch.
Bills Place Curtis Samuel On IR, Promote WR Gabe Davis
The Bills swapped wide receivers on their active roster on Friday by placing Curtis Samuel on injured reserve and signing Gabe Davis from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
Samuel was sidelined with knee and elbow injuries in Week 12, his fifth absence of the season after missing Weeks 1 through 4. He has only logged 81 receiving yards in six games despite a 40% snap share when active. This is his second disappointing campaign in a row after signing in Buffalo during the 2024 offseason. His three-year, $24MM contract has not aged well and he will likely be released as a cap casualty in the offseason. A pre-June 1 cut would save $6.275MM against the Bills’ 2026 salary cap with $3.45MM in dead money, per OverTheCap. A release after June 1 would save $8MM in 2026 with $1.725MM of dead money in 2026 and 2027.
Davis reunited with the Bills just before the start of the regular season, but did not see the field until second-year wideout Keon Coleman was benched in Week 11. Davis has started the last two games and caught four of his six targets for 62 yards on 59 snaps. His promotion to the 53-man roster indicates that he will continue to feature in Buffalo’s passing game for the rest of the season.
The Bills will also be without a number of key starters for their Week 13 matchup against the Steelers. Left tackle Dion Dawkins, right tackle Spencer Brown, and linebacker Terrel Bernard will all be sidelined on Sunday, according to the team’s injury report.
Dawkins briefly left last week’s game against the Texans to be checked for a concussion, but was cleared to return. After the game, however, symptoms reappeared, forcing the nine-year veteran into concussion protocol. He did not participate in practice this week.
Brown also went down in Week 12. His shoulder injury happened after Dawkins returned to the game; both tackles were replaced by swing tackle Ryan Van Demark in their respective absences. Van Demark will likely start at left tackle, which will set up rookie Chase Lundt to make his first career start at right tackle. The sixth-round pick has made one appearance this season, a three-snap effort in Week 4.
Bernard suffered an elbow injury in Houston, which will likely result in an uptick in work for Shaq Thompson and Dorian Williams. Bernard is tied for the most solo tackles and tackles for loss on the Bills defense.
Though Brown and Bernard could miss multiple games with their injuries, they are not expected to land on injured reserve, per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic.
Bills Waive WR Elijah Moore
The Bills signed wide receiver Brandin Cooks to their active roster on Tuesday. The addition of Cooks will cost fellow veteran wideout Elijah Moore his roster spot. The Bills cut Moore on Wednesday, per a team announcement. He’ll become a free agent if he passes through waivers unclaimed.
The Bills and Moore reached a mutual decision to split, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The slot receiver eyed more reps, and the Cooks acquisition was set to impede that path in Buffalo.
Moore had a highly productive three-year run at Mississippi, leading the Jets to take him 34th overall in the 2021 draft. After Moore combined for 80 catches and six touchdowns in 27 games during his first two NFL seasons, the Jets traded him and the 74th pick in the 2023 draft to the Browns for the 42nd selection. The deal came several months after Moore requested a trade out of New York.
Moore went on to amass 120 receptions and score three touchdowns during a two-year, 34-game stint in Cleveland, where he earned 25 starts. However, after Moore averaged a career-low 8.8 yards per catch on 61 grabs last year, the Browns didn’t re-sign him. Over a month after free agency opened, Moore settled for the Bills’ one-year offer worth up to $5MM (including $2.5MM in full guarantees) in late April.
Buffalo’s decision to sign the 25-year-old Moore came after it largely struck out in the draft at the receiver position. The Bills selected just one wideout, seventh-rounder Kaden Prather, who’s no longer with the organization. As a result, they opened this season with Moore joining Keon Coleman, Josh Palmer, Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, and Tyrell Shavers as their choices at receiver.
The Bills were likely optimistic Moore would emerge as a solid target for Josh Allen, by far the best quarterback he has ever paired with in his career. It didn’t work out, though. Moore logged two starts over nine appearances with the Bills and caught just nine of 17 targets for 112 yards. His only touchdown came on a four-yard run against the Jets in Week 2.
While Moore could land elsewhere down the stretch, the 7-4 Bills will hope Cooks provides a much-needed boost to their receiving corps. The Moore pickup didn’t yield positive results, while no one from the Coleman-Palmer-Samuel-Shavers group has emerged as a consistent complement to Shakir and currently injured tight end Dalton Kincaid.