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Vikings Trade CB Mekhi Blackmon To Colts

August 25th, 2025 at 8:55pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Vikings are trading cornerback Mekhi Blackmon to the Colts in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Blackmon, a 2023 third-round pick, carved out a role as Minnesota’s third cornerback as a rookie with 435 defensive snaps across 15 games. That seemed like an indicator that he would compete for a starting role during his second training camp, but the 26-year-old suffered a torn ACL in July missed all of the 2024 season.

Blackmon completed his recovery this offseason without issue and started the Vikings’ last two preseason games. However, that may have been an attempt to showcase the third-year corner to other teams, as ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reports that Blackmon “seemed stuck with the third team on a depth chart that isn’t exactly loaded with cornerbacks.” As a result, Minnesota opted to move forward with a veteran trio of Byron Murphy, Isaiah Rodgers, and Jeff Okudah and recoup some draft capital for Blackmon.

Enter the Colts, who made yet another addition to their secondary this offseason after signing Charvarius Ward, Camryn Bynum, and most recently, Xavien Howard. All three are listed as starters on the team’s unofficial depth chart along with two incubments: nickel Kenny Moore and safety Nick Cross. Upon arriving in Indianapolis, Blackmon will join fellow 2023 draftees Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents in the cornerback room and provide depth on the boundary.

This is the third trade the Vikings have made in the last week as general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah uses the team’s surplus talent to upgrade its draft capital. Along with deals to send Sam Howell to the Eagles and Harrison Phillips to the Jets, he has now collected four new picks – fifth- and sixth-rounders in 2026 and sixth- and seventh-rounders in 2027 – while also giving up 2026 sixth-round and 2027 seventh-round picks. Though that’s only a net gain of two Day 3 draft picks, teams always want to squeeze every bit of value out of departing players, and the extra picks could help Adofo-Mensah wheel and deal in the future.

Browns Expected To Release DeAndre Carter

August 25th, 2025 at 8:24pm CST by Ben Levine

The Browns are moving on from an offseason free agent acquisition. According to Jordan Schultz, Cleveland is expected to release veteran DeAndre Carter.

Back in March, the Browns handed the 32-year-old a one-year, $800K deal. Carter was expected to have a role in Cleveland as a back-of-the-depth-chart wideout and primary returner. Instead, the NFL journeyman will be looking to join yet another team.

The Browns represented the 10th team of Carter’s NFL career (not including multiple stints with the Raiders and Bears). The Sacramento State product’s best offensive season actually came relatively recently, when he hauled in 46 catches for 538 yards and three touchdowns for the Chargers. After getting into 17 games for the Raiders in 2023, Carter spent the 2024 campaign in Chicago. There, he hauled in nine catches in 13 games.

Carter has really made a name for himself on special teams, where he’s tallied 133 career kick returns and 149 career punt returns. He finished this past season with a career-high 31.9 yards-per-return mark, and he also managed to return the longest punt return (38 yards) since his sophomore season. Considering his special teams prowess, it shouldn’t take long for the veteran to find another gig.

For Cleveland, this could be a sign that UDFA Gage Larvadain has made the team, per Tony Grossi. The receiver finished the preseason with nine catches for 94 yards and one touchdown, and he also returned 10 punts.

Commanders Cut Michael Gallup, Five Others

August 25th, 2025 at 7:51pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Commanders made six cuts this afternoon as they trim their roster down to 53 players.

Headlining the group is veteran wide receiver Michael Gallup, who signed with the Commanders in March to attempt an NFL comeback. He started 67 games for the Cowboys from 2018 to 2023, but struggled to stay healthy throughout his career and retired last summer.

Gallup’s return to the league came with some fanfare given his past production in Dallas. He averaged 819 yards per year across his first three seasons – including a thousand-yard campaign in 2019 – and still eclipsed 400 yards in his next three years despite a variety of injuries. He was unable to recapture his previous form in Washington, catching only four of his 10 preseason targets for 40 yards, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). As a vested veteran, he is free to sign with any other team.

In addition to Gallup, the following players were cut, per a team announcement.

Harris, a 2020 fifth-round pick, served as the Browns’ backup center for two years on either side of a season-ending knee injury in 2022. He was unable to beat out seven-year veteran Michael Deiter for the same role in Washington this summer. Phillips has started 28 games across his five-year career for the Ravens and the Giants, primarily at right tackle. Similarly to Harris, the Commanders’ offensive line depth kept him firmly outside of the 53-man roster picture.

However, both have enough experience to attract interest from a team that needs offensive line help – perhaps one that has lost several players to injury, like the Saints.

Bassey, Harris, and Phillips are all vested veterans who will become free agents right away. Pollard and Sanders are former UDFAs who will be subject to waivers.

Cowboys To Place RB Phil Mafah On IR

August 25th, 2025 at 6:52pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Cowboys are planning to place rookie running back Phil Mafah on injured reserve with a return designation, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Mafah, a seventh-round pick, suffered a shoulder injury in the Cowboys’ final preseason game against the Falcons on Friday. He will be sidelined for at least the first four weeks of the regular season.

Dallas has carried three running backs (plus fullback Hunter Luepke) on their initial 53-man roster in each of the last two years. Two of those spots will be filled by Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders and Jaydon Blue. That left Mafah competing with 2023 sixth-rounder Deuce Vaughn and former UDFA Malik Davis to convince the team to roster a fourth running back.

Davis led the backfield statistically in the preseason with 70 rushing yards (50 of which came after contact), 7.8 yards per carry, and four runs of 10 yards or more, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). However, the Cowboys’ distribution of playing time suggests that Vaughn and Mafah were still ahead (in that order). With Mafah sidelined, Vaughn would be in line for a fourth RB roster spot – if it exists.

However, Mafah’s return designation means that he could be back as early as Week 5. The Cowboys’ top three running backs should be able to get the team through the first four games, at which point Mafah could be added back to the active roster as the RB4. That would allow Dallas to open up another roster spot during final cuts this week and figure out a way to make room for Mafah during the regular season.

Bills To Release QB Mike White

August 25th, 2025 at 6:39pm CST by Ben Levine

After spending the past year in the Bills organization, Mike White will look to continue his career elsewhere. The Bills are set to release the veteran quarterback, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

White was cut by the Dolphins at the end of the 2024 preseason and quickly caught on with Buffalo’s practice squad. He was intended to provide some extra insurance behind injured QB2 Mitchell Trubisky, and White ended up only seeing the field for a single game with the Bills. In that Week 17 cameo, White completed 3 of his 11 pass attempts for 28 yards.

After a brief stint on the Cowboys to begin his career, the former fifth-round pick has spent the rest of his career in the AFC East. He started seven of his eight appearances for the Jets between 2021 and 2022, completing 62.2 percent of his passes for 2,145 yards, eight touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The Jets went 2-5 in those seven starts.

As the Jets revamped their depth chart ahead of the 2023 campaign, White wasn’t in the team’s plans, leading to him joining the Dolphins on a two-year deal. He spent that season as Tua Tagovailoa‘s primary backup, with White tossing a touchdown and an interception in six games. After being passed on the depth chart by Skylar Thompson last preseason, White was cut.

Trubisky will now continue as Josh Allen‘s primary backup in Buffalo for the 2025 campaign. The Bills are also waiving former UDFA Shane Buechele, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, leaving the organization with only two QBs at the moment.

Steelers Cut P Cameron Johnston, 12 Others

August 25th, 2025 at 6:10pm CST by Ben Levine

The Steelers started moving on from some players late last week, and they continued the process this afternoon. The team announced the following transactions:

Released:

Waived:

Cameron Johnston inked a three-year deal with the Steelers last offseason and was expected to lead the depth chart for the foreseeable future. However, the veteran suffered a knee injury in Week 1 that knocked him out for the rest of the season, allowing Corliss Waitman to secure the punting gig. It appears that Waitman won the competition between the two this preseason, and Johnston will now look to revive his career elsewhere. The team also moved on from kicker Ben Sauls, who always seemed destined to be cut considering Chris Boswell is still kicking around.

Among the team’s other notable cuts are Max Hurleman, who caught a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener and was a standout during training camp, and linebackerMark Robinson, who was believed to be competing for a spot on the Steelers defense.

Raiders Cut 18 Players

August 25th, 2025 at 5:45pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders have started trimming down their roster to 53 players. The team announced today that they’ve moved on from 18 players:

Released:

Waived:

The Raiders’ wide receivers room has commanded headlines today, as Jakobi Meyers reportedly requested a trade before the team reunited with Amari Cooper. The team’s most notable moves in their initial wave of cuts included a handful of veteran wide receivers.

That grouping includes Phillip Dorsett, who has bounced around the NFL since his stint in New England came to an end several years ago. The veteran had 20 catches in 15 games for the Texans in 2022, but he was limited to only a pair of appearances with the Broncos in 2023. He didn’t get into a game last year. The team also moved on from former Saints standout Marquez Callaway, who has only appeared in five games over the past two years.

On the defensive side of the ball, Jaylon Smith is the biggest name among this grouping of cuts. The former Cowboys standout bounced around the NFL in 2021 before starting 11 of his 13 appearances with the Giants in 2022, a season in which he finished with 88 tackles. He was limited to one game with the Raiders in 2023 before not getting into a regular-season contest in 2024.

Cardinals Waive QB Clayton Tune, 11 Others

August 25th, 2025 at 5:42pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Cardinals took a step towards finalizing their 53-man roster on Monday by waiving 12 players including quarterback Clayton Tune, per a team announcement.

Tune, a 2023 fifth-round pick, began his rookie year as Arizona’s backup quarterback behind Joshua Dobbs with Kyler Murray working his way back from an ACL tear. Dobbs was sent to the Vikings at the trade deadline with Murray still not at 100%, so Tune started in Week 9 and got shut out by the Browns’ top-ranked defense.

The 26-year-old held onto the QB2 job in 2024, but only attempted two passes on the year to bring his career total to 23. This offseason, the Cardinals brought in veteran Jacoby Brissett as a more capable and experienced backup to Murray, and they opted not to carry three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. However, Tune is a strong candidate to be signed to the team’s practice squad as the third-string quarterback.

Tune’s release will leave $86K of dead money on the Cardinals’ salary cap in 2025 and 2026, per OverTheCap. Here are Arizona’s other 11 cuts:

Mbaeteka is the only other player of note, as the Nigeria native is eligible to be an extra player on the practice squad via an international exemption. Teams can place claims on waived players until Wednesday, when all claims will be processed. Unclaimed players will then be eligible to sign with any team’s practice squad.

Lions To Waive QB Hendon Hooker, DL Brodric Martin

August 25th, 2025 at 5:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

5:37pm: The 2023 third round did not go well for the Lions. After playing in just five games from 2023-24, Brodric Martin will be waived, per AtoZSports.com’s Mike Payton. Martin and Hooker each have two years left on their rookie deals.

Chosen 96th overall in 2023, Martin played in three rookie-year games and two 2024 contests. He did not see any playoff action. The Lions did use one of their IR activations on Martin, despite an injury-battered season making those rather valuable, but the team has not gotten much from the pick. Martin could be retained on a practice squad deal if he clears waivers.

3:02pm: Technically given three offseasons to take flight, the Lions’ Hendon Hooker is experiment is over. Detroit is waiving the former third-round pick, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo reports.

Rehabbing a major injury during his first year in Detroit, Hooker has not progressed to the point the Lions have felt comfortable with him as Jared Goff‘s top backup. Discussing the young QB over the weekend, Dan Campbell signaled a separation was likely.

Campbell said a change of scenery would probably benefit the Tennessee alum at this point, and that will happen. Hooker does not appear a candidate for Detroit’s practice squad. Two years remain on his third-round contract. Hooker, 27, is due just more than $1MM in 2025 base salary. That figure is nonguaranteed, but the former Heisman candidate’s shaky Detroit stint may not make it a lock he is claimed. The Lions would eat less than $600K in dead money if Hooker goes unclaimed. The team will know by 11am CT Wednesday if the QB is claimed.

The Lions will give their backup job to Kyle Allen, who signed a one-year, $1.27MM deal this offseason. Although Allen spent last year as the Steelers’ third-stringer, he outplayed Hooker in the preseason after the latter committed five turnovers during Detroit’s exhibition slate. After the Lions reunited with Teddy Bridgewater to close last season, Allen’s arrival brought another challenge for Hooker.

The Bridgewater move came after Hooker did serve as the Lions’ top backup for most of last season. Hooker played in three games, completing 6 of 9 passes for 62 yards. That represents his only NFL game action, as the former Virginia Tech recruit spent most of his rookie year on the Lions’ reserve/NFI list due to the ACL tear sustained in November 2022. Hooker was mentioned as a candidate to be drafted earlier than he was (No. 68), but he has thus far proven skeptics — due partially to a Tennessee offense that brought questions about the formerly productive passer’s transition to the pros — right to this point.

Detroit does not have a third QB on its roster, making it logical the team will pursue one for its practice squad as the emergency option. The Lions carried Goff, Bridgewater and Hooker to close last season. Allen, 29, is now on team No. 6. He has worked as a backup or third-stringer — and fill-in starter, occasionally — in Carolina, Washington, Houston, Buffalo and Pittsburgh.

Allen’s most notable NFL work came in 2019, when he quarterbacked a mediocre Panthers team — Christian McCaffrey‘s historic 1,000-1,000 season notwithstanding — to a 5-7 record in his starts replacing an injured Cam Newton. Allen made two more starts with a bad 2022 Texans squad but has attempted one regular-season pass since 2023. Goff’s durability continues to benefit the Lions, but they will likely replace Hooker soon.

Broncos To Waive RB Audric Estime

August 25th, 2025 at 5:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos held a lengthy audition for their running back jobs behind their newly assembled top duo (J.K. Dobbins, R.J. Harvey), and one of the losers in the derby has been revealed.

Denver is waiving second-year back Audric Estime, 9News’ Mike Klis reports. Drafted in the fifth round last year, Estime had been playing behind Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie during the preseason. The Broncos also waived rookie UDFA guard Xavier Truss, per a team announcement.

Even as the Broncos struggled to maximize a good run-blocking O-line last season, Estime could not earn the coaches’ trust to leapfrog Javonte Williams — who had not recaptured his pre-knee-injury form. Williams departed in free agency, but the team added Harvey and then Dobbins.

With McLaughlin still rostered and Badie impressing the team’s coaching staff, Estime had loomed as a likely cut. A practice squad spot could await, but the Notre Dame alum would need to clear waivers — which process at 11am CT Wednesday. The Broncos are indeed interested in retaining Estime on the P-squad, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson.

Three years remain on Estime’s rookie contract, but no guaranteed money is left on the deal. Estime is due $960K this season. As a non-vested veteran, Estime will not see that figure guarantee next month. The Broncos will take on barely $250K in dead money.

Last season, Estime produced 310 yards and two touchdowns on 76 carries. Two fumbles proved costly, however, and Sean Payton made Badie — who had missed most of the season due to injury — a gameday active over Estime for Denver’s wild-card game in Buffalo. That proved to be a sign of the coaching staff losing some faith. Estime, who saw a 4.71-second 40-yard dash time at the 2024 Combine ding his draft stock, received a start against the Chargers last December but otherwise came off the bench as a rookie. He will now wait on his next destination.

Clearing up the RB competition, the Broncos are also cutting Blake Watson, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Watson suffered a PCL strain during Denver’s preseason finale. Trade interest existed for Watson, who spent much of 2024 on the Broncos’ practice squad, so a claim for the second-year UDFA in play. If unclaimed, Watson is also a candidate to land on the Broncos’ practice squad, per Tomasson.

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