Falcons OT Storm Norton Reverts To Season-Ending IR
Falcons offensive tackle Storm Norton reverted to season-ending injured reserve on Wednesday, per team reporter Terrin Waack, the first player in the league to do so this season.
Norton landed on IR with a return designation during final roster cuts after undergoing ankle surgery in the preseason. He returned to practice on October 22 and was a full practice participant right away. He then re-aggravated the injury the following week and has not practiced since. His 21-day practice window expired on Wednesday, forcing him to watch the rest of the season from the sidelines.
Head coach Raheem Morris declined to give details on Norton’s setback, but acknowledged that “it wasn’t great news.”
The Falcons already lost starting right tackle Kaleb McGary for the year after he suffered a leg injury in training camp. That was a major loss for Atlanta’s offensive line, especially considering McGary’s job to protect left-handed quarterback Michael Penix‘s blind side. The team has relied on Elijah Wilkinson to fill McGary’s spot, but he has allowed 30 pressures, the fifth-most among all offensive tackles this season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Norton would not necessarily have been an upgrade. His only full year as a starter came in 2021 for the Chargers, when he allowed 59 pressures, the second-most by an offensive tackle that season and the third-most in a single season since 2019. Since then, he has only started four games, though he still could have pushed Wilkinson for his job.
The Falcons will also place fourth-year linebacker DeAngelo Malone on IR. He suffered a broken ankle in Sunday’s loss to the Colts and underwent surgery on Monday. Malone will miss at least four games, but his absence could be longer, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 2022 third-round pick is a core special teams contributor who has not had more than a peripheral role on defense since his rookie year.
In other Falcons news, linebacker Malik Verdon was designated to return from the non-football injury list. The team signed the former Iowa State safety as an undrafted rookie with the intention of converting him to linebacker in Jeff Ulbrich‘s defense. Verdon played through an arm injury during his last year of college, but it is unknown if it is related to the shoulder issue that landed him on the NFI list in July.
Finally, Atlanta signed safety Jammie Robinson to their practice squad. The 2023 fifth-round pick appeared in 21 games for the Panthers over his first two years, primarily on special teams. He was waived before the end of his second season and has since spent time with the Cardinals, Chiefs, and Lions, though he has not played this year. He will add special teams depth in Atlanta, which may come in handy with Malone sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Vikings Designate C Ryan Kelly To Return From IR
The Vikings are designated center Ryan Kelly to return from injured reserve, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Kelly, 32, suffered two concussions in the first four weeks of the season. The first came in Week 2 against the Falcons, sidelining the 10-year veteran for the Vikings’ next game. He returned in Week 4 in Dublin, but he quickly went down with another concussion that landed him on injured reserve. The longtime Colt also suffered multiple concussions during the 2023 season.
Kelly spent five weeks on the shelf – one more than the minimum requirement – but his designation to return suggests that he has progressed through concussion protocol enough to practice. Limited participation this week would indicate that he will need more time before being fully cleared, especially if he practices with a non-contact jersey. Returning to full participation right away would indicate that he has cleared concussion protocol and should be in line to return for the Vikings’ upcoming matchup with the Bears.
Kelly signed in Minnesota this offseason and put together a solid performance to start the year. He earned a 72.2 overall grade and had yet to allow a pressure on 62 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
The Vikings called on 2024 seventh-round pick Michael Jurgens to finish the game in Weeks 2 and 4, but five-year veteran Blake Brandel took over the starting center job when Kelly was on IR. Brandel has also stepped in at left guard and left tackle amid Minnesota’s other O-line injuries this year.
A strong return from Kelly would give second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy a major boost in terms of his blocking and leadership along the offensive line. The Vikings committed eight false start penalties (at home!) in Sunday’s loss to the Ravens and will certainly want to improve their operation at the line of scrimmage moving forward.
Lions Designate CB D.J. Reed, DE Marcus Davenport To Return From IR
The Lions are designating cornerback D.J. Reed and defensive end Marcus Davenport to return from injured reserve, per Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers. Both defenders are expected to practice with the team on Wednesday.
Reed landed on IR at the beginning of October due to a strained hamstring. He signed in Detroit this offseason and was off to an excellent start with his new team. Through four games, he allowed receptions on only eight of his 16 targets with four passes defended, putting him on pace for the best season of his career. Rock Ya-Sin has seen an increase in playing time in Reed’s absence and will likely return to a backup role upon his return. However, Terrion Arnold is dealing with a concussion, so Ya-Sin could still start this week even if Reed is ready to play.
Davenport suffered a Week 2 injury for the second year in a row. In 2024, it was a season-ending elbow injury, but he avoided disaster this time with a pectoral strain. The veteran defensive lineman has taken longer to return than the four-game minimum stay on IR, but he could be a late-season boost to the Lions’ pass rush.
The team has 30 sacks on the season, which ranks fourth in the league, though most of that production has come from four players. Edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad both have eight sacks, while linebackers Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes have chipped in four apiece. Davenport will add some depth on the edge and potentially allow defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard to come up with some more creative pressure packages.
Broncos To Bring Back Lil’Jordan Humphrey
A day after adding tackle Geron Christian off the Cowboys’ practice squad, the Broncos are raiding another NFC East team’s P-squad to add more offensive help.
The team is bringing back Lil’Jordan Humphrey, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, adding him off the Giants’ taxi squad. Humphrey, who played for Sean Payton in New Orleans and Denver, is likely to play against the Chiefs on Sunday.
Joining the Giants this offseason (before yoyoing on and off their roster), Humphrey has played in three games. Although he has only seen action in a fraction of New York’s contests, the journeyman wideout started two of those and logged an 81% snap share in the game he has played. The Broncos used Humphrey regularly last season and are making an update to their receiving depth chart ahead of a crucial contest.
The Giants had used the maximum of three gameday elevations on Humphrey this season. With the team needing to give him a spot on its 53-man roster in order to give him a game uniform again this season, Mike Kafka‘s operation will instead see him depart. Humphrey joins a Broncos team loosely linked to wide receiver trades before this year’s deadline, but like the Bills and Steelers, the AFC contender stood pat.
Payton used Humphrey on 50% of the Broncos’ offensive plays last season, giving him the most run of anyone besides Courtland Sutton and Devaughn Vele at the position in 2024. Second-year cog Troy Franklin has seized Denver’s No. 2 wideout role this year, and the team has increasingly used Pat Bryant more as the season has progressed. Bryant’s blocking has appealed to Denver’s coaching staff, but Humphrey was viewed as a plus blocker previously. The Broncos have also missed Marvin Mims for the past two games due to a concussion. With Trent Sherfield rounding out the group, Humphrey will give Denver six WRs on its 53-man roster.
Humphrey, 28, played for Payton from 2019-21 with the Saints. After spending the 2022 season in New England, the big-bodied backup followed Payton to Denver in 2023. Humphrey made 15 starts from 2023-24 and posted a career-high 293 receiving yards last season, doing so after catching three touchdown passes in 2023. He caught four passes for 55 yards with the Giants, who are letting him go despite losing Malik Nabers for the season and having seen Darius Slayton miss time this year.
Cardinals To Place Zay Jones, Simi Fehoko On IR; Marvin Harrison Jr. To Miss Time
The Cardinals are heading into Week 11 with a shorthanded wide receiver room. Zay Jones and Simi Fehoko are both being placed on injured reserve, while Marvin Harrison Jr. will miss at least one game due to a bout of appendicitis, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Josh Weinfuss.
Jones suffered a torn Achilles in Arizona’s loss to the Seahawks on Sunday, which will sidelined him for the rest of the season. Fehoko is dealing with an arm injury and will miss at least four games. His earliest return would come in Week 14 against the Texans.
Harrison had surgery on Monday night. It is unknown when his appendicitis was discovered and diagnosed; he played in Sunday’s game with a full workload (12 targets on a 90.8 snap share).
The trio of receiver absences will push Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, and Xavier Weaver into bigger roles. Wilson has 22 receptions for 231 this season, which both rank third on the team behind Harrison and tight end Trey McBride. With Jones going on IR, no other Cardinals receiver has more than 15 catches or 75 yards this year. Dortch has just 73 yards on 16 targets this year, but has flashed some playmaking ability in the past. Weaver has only been targeted three times in six games over the last two years.
The Cardinals made one immediate move to bolster their receiver room, promoting Andre Baccellia to the active roster from the practice squad. He appeared in 13 games in the last two years, though his last offensive involvement came in 2023. The team also has Jalen Brooks, Tejhuan Palmer, and Jalen Virgil – the last of whom was signed today – available for practice squad elevations.
Arizona also re-signed cornerback Jaden Davis to their practice squad. He was a Cardinals seventh-round pick a year ago, but has yet to appear in a regular-season game.
Steelers Activate QB Will Howard From IR
After winning the national championship in his lone season at Ohio State in 2024, quarterback Will Howard entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick of the Steelers last spring. Howard broke his hand early in training camp, though, forcing him to begin his career on injured reserve. After opening Howard’s 21-day practice window on Oct. 22, the Steelers activated the 24-year-old to their 53-man roster on Wednesday.
Taken 185th in the draft, Howard was always regarded as a developmental project for the Steelers. Even if he didn’t succumb to an injury over the summer, Howard was unlikely to see meaningful playing time this season.
Howard joined a team that brought in future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers as its new starter and the experienced Mason Rudolph as its primary backup during the offseason. Rodgers has stayed healthy during the Steelers’ 5-4 start, leaving just six snaps for Rudolph thus far.
The Steelers reportedly hope to retain Rodgers, who will turn 42 in December, next season. Rudolph is already under contract for 2026 after signing a two-year, $8MM deal. The Steelers will have plenty of time to figure out their QB setup for next year. In the meantime, they’ll get Howard back as an emergency third option.
As PFR’s IR tracker shows, Howard’s activation leaves the Steelers with five for the rest of the season. To make room for Howard, the Steelers waived running back Trey Sermon from their active roster. The former 49er, Eagle, and Colt signed a one-year pact with the Steelers last May. Sermon has appeared in four games this season, his fifth in the league, but 47 of his 48 snaps have come on special teams.
Commanders Designate S Will Harris For Return; Latest On Terry McLaurin
The Commanders have gone without safety Will Harris for most of 2025, an injury-ravaged season for the team. Harris is closing in on a return, though, as the Commanders opened his practice window on Wednesday. They’ll have 21 days to activate him from IR.
A former Lion and Saint, Harris signed a two-year, $8MM deal with the Commanders as a free agent last March. He started in Washington’s first three games and made 11 tackles before suffering a broken fibula in a Week 3 win over the Raiders. The Commanders were 2-1 at the time, but they’ve since fallen to 3-7 and drifted out of the NFC playoff race.
After Harris went down, the Commanders quickly added the experienced Darnell Savage to their secondary. Savage entered Washington with 82 career starts, and that number hasn’t changed. He has worked as a backup and played just under 22% of defensive snaps in seven games with the Commanders.
With Savage in a reserve role, Jeremy Reaves has gotten the lion’s share of playing time at safety alongside Quan Martin. Reaves is better known as a special teams contributor, but he has made six starts in 10 games and totaled 56 tackles and three passes defensed. Pro Football Focus ranks his performance a decent 41st among 91 qualifying safeties.
While it appears the Commanders’ defense will welcome Harris back in the coming weeks, wide receiver Terry McLaurin could rejoin their offense soon. McLaurin, who’s dealing with a quad injury, will not play when the Commanders face the Dolphins in Madrid on Sunday. However, head coach Dan Quinn said McLaurin will begin on-field rehab work this week (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk).
Washington has a bye in Week 12, but McLaurin may be ready after that. After posting his fourth straight 17-game, 1,000-yard season and scoring a career-high 13 touchdowns in 2024, the two-time Pro Bowler has played in just four contests this year. That partially explains Washington’s precipitous drop in the standings after a 12-5 finish and a conference title game berth last season.
Eagles Place CB Jaire Alexander On Reserve/Retired List
Eagles cornerback Jaire Alexander stepped away from football on Tuesday to focus on his physical and mental health. It turns out that Alexander’s career may be over. The Eagles placed him on the reserve/retired list on Wednesday and activated cornerback Jakorian Bennett from IR in a corresponding move.
Now 28 years old, Alexander entered the NFL as a Packers first-rounder (No. 18 overall) in 2018. The former Louisville Cardinal quickly emerged as one of the league’s best corners. He earned two second-team All-Pro nods and a pair of Pro Bowl invitations during his first five seasons in the league. Alexander totaled 10 interceptions during that 62-game span.
The Packers signed Alexander to a four-year, $84MM extension before the 2022 season, which will go down as his most productive campaign. Alexander picked off a career-best five passes during a 16-start season, but he was unable to stay healthy after that.
After groin, back, shoulder, and knee injuries limited Alexander to 14 of a possible 34 regular-season games from 2023-24, the Packers released him last June. He quickly caught on with the Ravens on a one-year, $6MM deal, but the union didn’t work out for either side. Alexander dealt with a knee injury and appeared in just two games with Baltimore, which traded him and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Philadelphia for a 2026 sixth-rounder on Nov. 1.
Although Alexander expressed optimism about his health after the trade, he wasn’t active for the Eagles’ win over the Packers in Week 10. It now appears his career has come to an end.
While the Eagles are losing Alexander, Bennett is returning to bolster their corner depth. Acquired from the Raiders in August, Bennett played in three games and picked up 44 snaps (24 on defense, 20 on special teams) before the Eagles placed him on IR with a pectoral injury on Sept. 24.
Bennett will give the Eagles another option on the outside behind starters Quinyon Mitchell and Adoree’ Jackson. Slot standout Cooper DeJean, Michael Carter II, Kelee Ringo, and Mac McWilliams comprise the rest of the Eagles’ corners.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/11/25
Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL…
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: CB Tre Avery
Denver Broncos
- Signed off Cowboys’ practice squad: OT Geron Christian
- Waived: WR/KR Michael Bandy
- Placed on IR: LB Karene Reid
Green Bay Packers
- Signed from practice squad: LB Kristian Welch
- Placed on IR: C Elgton Jenkins (story)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Suspended: RB Josh Williams
Washington Commanders
- Signed from practice squad: WR Robbie Chosen, WR Jacoby Jones
- Placed on IR: CB Trey Amos (story)
The NFL issued Williams a six-game ban without pay for violating its policy on performance-enhancing substances, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Williams will be eligible for reinstatement after Week 16. The undrafted rookie from LSU has picked up four carries for 11 yards in three games this year.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/11/25
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DL Ben Stille
- Released: OL Raiqwon O’Neal, LS Zach Triner
Buffalo Bills
- Released: DE Kingsley Jonathan, WR Kristian Wilkerson
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: QB Mike White
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DE K.J. Henry, DE Ochaun Mathis
- Released: DT Simeon Barrow Jr.
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Anthony Firkser
- Released: OL Jack Conley
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: LS Peter Bowden
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: TE Nick Muse
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Shemar Bartholomew
New England Patriots
- Signed: RB Jonathan Ward
- Released: WR Brenden Rice
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Zach Davidson, K Ben Sauls
New York Jets
- Signed: DB Tre Brown
- Released: DB J.T. Woods
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: DT Desmond Watson
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR River Cracraft
The Panthers waived White from their practice squad on Nov. 8, but the team quickly brought the veteran signal-caller back. White will continue to provide experienced depth behind Bryce Young and Andy Dalton. He served as the Panthers’ emergency third QB in their Week 9 win over the Packers.