Buffalo Bills News & Rumors

NFL Minor Transactions: 7/31/25

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: WR Chase Cota

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: LB Garrett Nelson
  • Reverted to IR: LB Johnny Walker

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: WR Jaden Smith
  • Waived/injured: S Marcus Banks, RB D.J. Williams

Washington Commanders

  • Activated from active/NFI: OL Tim McKay

The Colts added some experienced cornerback depth today in Tre Herndon and Duke Shelley. Herndon had a long stint in Jacksonville, starting 34 of his 83 appearances with the organization. Shelley has bounced around the league a bit, with his longest stint coming in Chicago between 2019 and 2021. Both players were limited to one appearance each during the 2024 campaign.

The 49ers made a long list of moves today, most notably to their wide receiver depth. Marquez Callaway was limited to two games in Tampa Bay last season, but he compiled 698 receiving yards and six touchdowns as recently as 2021. Andy Isabella has only gotten into 13 total games over the past four years, hauling in five receptions over that span. They’ll be taking the roster spots previously held by former Bears starter Equanimeous St. Brown and former Kansas State standout Malik Knowles.

RB Latavius Murray Retires

After being unable to find an NFL opportunity in 2024, Latavius Murray is hanging up his cleats. The veteran running back announced on Thursday that he is retiring at the age of 35 (video link via NFL insider Jordan Schultz).

A sixth-round pick of the Raiders in 2013, Murray played on a rotational basis the following year before taking on starting duties. He recorded his first and only 1,000-yard campaign in 2015 and secured a Pro Bowl nod in the process. A career-best 12 rushing touchdowns during his final Raiders season set Murray up for a strong free agent market.

The UCF product landed a three-year, $15MM Vikings pact on the open market. Murray ended up spending a pair of seasons in Minnesota where he operated as part of a backfield tandem with Dalvin CookA similar setup was in place with New Orleans when Murray paired with Alvin Kamara for the 2019 and ’20 campaigns, during which he remained a consistent producer on the ground.

Murray caught on with the Ravens in 2021 shortly after being cut. As part of a Baltimore backfield ravaged by preseason injuries, he managed to handle a notable workload before finding himself on the move once again the following season. In 2022, Murray briefly returned to the Saints before signing from the practice squad to the Broncos’ active roster midway through the campaign. That decision set up a starting role to close out the season and helped earn him a Bills pact for 2023.

Logging a 32% snap share with Buffalo, Murray remained healthy but saw his yards per attempt average dip below 4.1 for the first time since 2017. That was a key factor in the Bills’ decision not to retain him, even though Murray was open to an extended stay with the team. After spending last season without a deal, today will mark the end of the line after 10 NFL seasons.

In all, Murray played 158 combined regular and postseason games over the course of his NFL tenure, totaling over 8,000 scrimmage yards and 61 touchdowns. He amassed more than $21MM in career earnings.

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Pats, Myers, Bills

Zach Sieler is not holding in at Dolphins practice, but the veteran defensive lineman has let it be known he is seeking a new contract. Tied to a three-year, $30.75MM extension, Sieler has delivered a considerable return for the Dolphins by posting back-to-back 10-sack seasons — for a team decimated at the edge rusher positions.

I do feel like I want to get,” Sieler said, via the Miami Herald’s Omar Kelly. “I do feel that respect coming. I think I’ve earned it. I know I’ve earned it.”

The interior defender, though, is signed for two more seasons. Dolphins GM Chris Grier has bent on a few occasions to extension-chasing players with more than a year left on their deals. Grier rewarded Xavien Howard, Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey in doing so. The Howard and Ramsey decisions burned the Dolphins, as substantial dead money emerged following their respective exits. Sieler signed his extension shortly before the first of those 10-sack seasons. Set to turn 30 in September and sitting 31st in AAV among interior D-linemen, the former seventh-rounder is looking to capitalize on his performance and cash in while still in his prime.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

  • The Dolphins brought in Mike Hilton and Jack Jones at cornerback, but they have lost Kader Kohou and Artie Burns for the season. Hilton had spoken with the Dolphins months ago. The former Steelers and Bengals slot corner expected to draw more interest, but he is now 31. He still expected to wind up in Miami, via ESPN.com’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.
  • Hilton arrived after multiple instances of Dolphins-Rasul Douglas negotiations. The Douglas talks would pertain more to Jones, who is an outside CB. Douglas remains in free agency after rejecting a Dolphins offer, The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson reports. Ranked behind veteran corners D.J. Reed, Byron Murphy, Carlton Davis and Charvarius Ward in PFR’s top 50, Douglas has been tied to the Dolphins and Seahawks and, per Anderson, has received more interest lately. It should be expected the soon-to-be 30-year-old DB signs somewhere soon, but his value will not approach the three-year, $21MM Packers deal he inked in 2022.
  • The Dolphins signed James Daniels after an Achilles tear, and they do not have top interior backup Liam Eichenberg available yet. The versatile O-lineman is weeks away from returning from the active/PUP list, Mike McDaniel said (via Jackson). McDaniel confirmed this issue is “not a season-ender.” The Dolphins re-signed Eichenberg (one year, $2.25MM) after seeing Isaiah Wynn miss all of last season due to a 2023 injury. Wynn is no longer on the roster, but second-round pick Jonah Savaiinaea is set to replace Eichenberg in Miami’s lineup.
  • Good news for the Patriots, who have seen their new DC (Terrell Williams) return to work at camp. A spring health scare sidelined Williams, but the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi notes he is back ahead of his first year as a coordinator.
  • Josh Myers did not see his four years of starter experience lead to a noteworthy free agency deal, reminding of Teven Jenkins‘ market. The four-year Packers center starter, who received just $2MM from the Jets, did say (via SNY’s Connor Hughes) the team informed him upon signing he would move into a center competition with incumbent Joe Tippmann. We heard during OTAs the Jets would put Tippmann — a 2023 second-round pick — in a position battle with Myers, and it is ongoing. Both players are ex-second-round picks, though Myers’ 56 starts better Tippmann’s 31. Pro Football Focus ranked Tippmann eighth last season, slotting Myers in 38th among centers. Two years remain on Tippmann’s rookie deal.
  • Vince Carter does not intend for his Bills ownership stake to bring a silent partnership role. “I’ve sat with the GM, president, owner, the big boss,” Carter said, via the Daytona News-Journal’s Chris Vinel. “I’ve sat with everybody, and we’ve had conversations, and I just listen and learn. I don’t just want to have a name on it. I want to be involved.” While Carter is unlikely to represent the Bills at any owners meetings, he is one of many to take advantage of the NFL loosening restraints on private equity ownership recently.

Bills CB Maxwell Hairston Avoids ACL Tear

Maxwell Hairston went down with a noncontact knee injury during Tuesday’s Bills practice. Fears of an ACL tear turned out to be overblown.

The first-round cornerback’s ACL is intact, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report the Kentucky product suffered an LCL sprain. Hairston is expected to be out for at least a few weeks, but the Bills avoided the worst-case scenario here.

Buffalo views Hairston as likely to be ready for Week 1, Schultz adds. This is a break for the Bills, who based their offseason cornerback plan on Hairston. The team did not re-sign Rasul Douglas and authorized a Christian Benford extension — one that soon became paired with Hairston’s rookie contract. The team also traded Kaiir Elam, who had not panned out as a 2022 first-round choice.

Douglas remains a free agent, not signing with the Dolphins despite multiple instances of reported negotiations emerging. Miami has since signed Jack Jones and Mike Hilton. Douglas remaining available represents an interesting option for the Bills, but if Hairston is to be back by Week 1 or shortly before that point, they may opt to stick with their current depth chart. The team also brought back Tre’Davious White and Dane Jackson this offseason.

The knee injury comes after the Bills received word of a civil suit alleging Hairston sexually assaulted a woman as a freshman at Kentucky. Hairston, 22 next week, denied the allegation.

This is something I’ve been dealing with since I was 17,” Hairston said, via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith. “It’s been four years now, and I went through this whole process with the police, they went through a thorough investigation, and I was exonerated from that. The University of Kentucky did a thorough investigation, I was exonerated from that as well. And I volunteered to do multiple polygraphs because I was determined to get my truth out there, because I had nothing to hide. I was an open book.

The Bills have been by my side from the start because they did their own thorough investigation. The people that know the truth know, and those are the people I’m sticking by and they’re sticking by me.”

Brandon Beane previously suggested the Bills conducted thorough research on this matter, indicating he believed the cornerback was falsely accused of this crime. In the suit, the unnamed woman accuses Hairston of sexually assaulting her in her dorm room on March 25, 2021. The suit alleges Hairston removed the woman’s pajamas, after she had indicated she was tired and uninterested in sexual intercourse, and assaulted her. The woman filed a police report at the time, according to Bardahl and Graham, and went through a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner exam at a hospital.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/25

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: CB Keni-H Lovely

Baltimore Ravens

  • Activated from non-football injury list: LB Jake Hummel

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Activated from active/NFI list: S Josh Minkins

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Jenkins, who switched to center this offseason, was dealing with a back injury in training camp and participated in a limited capacity on Monday, per USA Today’s Ryan Wood.

Evans, a sixth-round pick by the Rams in 2023, played in 10 games as a rookie but didn’t make the 53-man roster in 2024. He joined the Jets’ practice squad in December and signed a reserve/futures contract in January, but opted to retire instead.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/25

Here are Sunday’s minor transactions to close out the weekend:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Activated from active/NFI list: RB Amar Johnson

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Jets

Arizona is adding the brother of Stephon Gilmore after placing two cornerbacks on injured reserve earlier today. Thomas-Oliver was released by the Lions a day after suffering a hamstring injury in practice. He had returned to practice only three days ago from the active/non-football injury list.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/25

Saturday’s minor moves around the league:

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: WR Kelly Akharaiyi
  • Placed on reserve/retired list: WR David White

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: CB Garnett Hollis Jr.

Houston Texans

 

James Cook Participating In Training Camp; RB Still Discussing Bills Extension

2025 has witnessed a pair of training camp holdouts and the attendance/participation of other extension-seeking players will remain a storyline to follow in the coming days. With respect to James Cook, things have been business as usual regarding his on-field work.

The two-time Pro Bowler participated in full during the Bills’ first training camp practice. That is expected to continue, as noted by Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic (subscription required). Earlier this month, it was unclear if a hold-in would take place, but Cook said he did not consider such a move. The former second-rounder remains focused on securing a Bills extension, although it still remains to be seen if a big-ticket deal will come from Buffalo or another team next spring.

“I mean, we have talks. I’m never going to give up,” Cook said during his first public remarks since arriving at camp. “I deserve it — what I want, what I need. It’s going to eventually happen. I mean, however it happens, it’s going to get done. Wherever it happens.”

A mutual interest still exists for an agreement to be reached allowing Cook to play on his second contract with the Bills. Since an asking price of $15MM per season became public, however, little progress has been made with respect to negotiations. One year remains on the Georgia product’s rookie contract, and a season similar to 2024 would position him for a major raise. Cook tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns last season (16) and averaged nearly 91 yards per game on the ground during the playoffs.

While the 25-year-old should be expected to remain productive for the foreseeable future, he logged a snap share of only 48% in 2024. Cook has yet to establish himself as a true three-down workhorse similar to many of the top earners at the running back spot (a position whose market currently has seven players averaging between $10MM and $20.6MM annually). The Bills still have Ray Davis and Ty Johnson in the fold, so a major increase in Cook’s 2025 workload compared to past years would come as a surprise. In any case, general manager Brandon Beane remains hopeful a deal can be struck at some point.

“As I’ve said all along, I love James Cook. You know how I am. I want to draft, develop, re-sign our own,” Beane said. “It is a business. We have to fit it in, not only cash, but cap… But we also have to look at ’26, ’27 and beyond… So all those things have to make sense for us to fit in him.” 

This offseason, Beane and the Bills have worked out long-term deals with Christian Benford, Gregory Rousseau, Terrel Bernard and Khalil ShakirIn each case, those moves ensured a departure next spring will not be possible. Cook still looms as a candidate for a multi-year pact of his own, and his situation will no doubt remain a storyline until and unless an agreement can be reached.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/25

With several training camps underway, here are today’s minor NFL transactions:

Baltimore Ravend

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Claimed off waivers (from Eagles): DE K.J. Henry

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Houston fans may be discouraged to see a few big names on injured lists, but all is not lost. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that Mixon’s “medical outlook is positive” as the team plans to gradually increase his activity throughout camp. Likewise, Autry is expected to ease his way back into camp workouts, as well. Pierce, on the other hand, is expected to be ready to come off the list at the start of camp.

Per ESPN’s John Keim, Cosmi likely won’t see much time on the field in camp, but he appears to be hitting all the mile markers en route to being healthy for the start of the regular season. With McLaurin officially beginning his holdout yesterday, the team has made the corresponding roster move. McLaurin will rack up fines of $50K per each day missed, but if the team can come to terms on an extension, they can make sure those fines are nullified.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/25

With training camps kicking off around the NFL, teams continue to make adjustments to their rosters. Here are today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Waived: DT Dante Barnett
  • Placed on active/NFI: RB Zack Moss

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: K Mark McNamee

Houston Texans

  • Waived: CB Keydrain Calligan

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived: OT Savion Washington

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Waived: OT Obinna Eze

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders