Transactions - Pro Football Rumors

Colts Activate CB JuJu Brents From IR

January 4th, 2025 at 11:45am CST by Ben Levine

JuJu Brents‘ sophomore season has been all but lost, but the cornerback will at least have a chance to play again before the 2024 campaign concludes. According to Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 Sports in Indy, the Colts have activated the cornerback from injured reserve. To make room on the roster, the team has waived cornerback Chris Lammons.

A former second-round pick, Brents was penciled in as the Colts’ CB1 heading into his second season in the league. However, a knee injury knocked him out of the team’s season opener and subsequently landed him on injured reserve. While Brents was initially expected to miss the rest of the regular season, he managed to return to practice last month and should now be in the lineup for the season finale.

The defensive back showed flashes as a rookie, collecting 43 tackles, six passes defended, and one interception in nine games (eight starts). However, he missed eight games due to injury in 2023, and he later underwent cleanup ankle surgery this offseason. Brents even suffered a broken nose during the preseason, so the player will surely be tagged as an injury risk heading into 2025.

Chris Ballard drew some criticism this past offseason for defiantly sticking to his homegrown roster-building strategy, including a lack of effort to improve the team’s cornerback corps. While the team re-signed stalwart slot CB Kenny Moore, the Colts otherwise relied on in-house options heading into the 2024 campaign. Former seventh-round pick Jaylon Jones has stepped in as a reliable starter for Indy, but the team has otherwise seen a revolving door at the position, with Samuel Womack, Dallis Flowers, David Long, and Lammons all getting looks.

Lammons’ extended look came when Moore was out of the lineup, with the fill-in garnering 85 snaps between Week 4 and Week 5. A former special teamer in Kansas City, the veteran could now look for a similar role with a contender.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/3/25

January 3rd, 2025 at 10:23pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are today’s minor moves from around the NFL:

Carolina Panthers

Placed on reserve/NFI list: OLB DJ Johnson

Cleveland Browns

Signed to active roster: WR Kaden Davis, DT Michael Dwumfour, S Christopher Edmonds
Placed on IR: RB Jerome Ford, TE David Njoku, RB Pierre Strong
Elevated: CB Kahlef Hailassie, RB Jacob Kibodi

Green Bay Packers

Placed on reserve/NFI list: RB MarShawn Lloyd

New York Giants

Placed on IR: DT Armon Watts

Johnson sustained a concussion in a car accident earlier this week, per ESPN’s David Newton. The 2023 third-round pick will miss the Panthers’ final regular season after 14 appearances (including two starts) this year.

The Browns added three more players to injured reserve before Saturday’s matchup with the Ravens, including their leading rusher in Ford and second-leading pass-catcher in Njoku. Those absences have extended Baltimore to 19.5-point favorites as they look to lock up the AFC North. Cleveland will finish the year with 23 players on IR, including key players like Deshaun Watson and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

Bills Extend Mike White Through 2025

January 3rd, 2025 at 9:43pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

With Josh Allen expected to see minimal playing time in Week 18, the Bills promoted Mike White from the practice squad to the active roster, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. White will serve as Buffalo’s third-string quarterback behind Allen and Mitchell Trubisky.

The former Jet’s promotion also came with a one-year contract extension, according to Schefter, keeping the 29-year-old quarterback in Buffalo through the 2025 season. White signed with the Bills’ practice squad in August after losing the Dolphins’ backup quarterback battle to Skylar Thompson during training camp.

White has yet to appear in a game this season, though he has been elevated from the practice squad twice. Now that he is on the active roster, he can serve as the Bills’ emergency third quarterback without counting towards the team’s active list. If he was elevated from the practice squad on a game-by-game basis, he would have to be officially active in order to enter the game.

White’s new contract details are unknown, but the extension sets him up to compete with Trubisky for the Bills’ backup quarterback job next summer. Trubisky reunited with the Bills on a two-year, $5.25MM contract last offseason and has served as Allen’s backup all year.

For now, though, both players’ focus will be on Week 18 and the ensuing postseason. While the Bills are hoping that neither quarterback has to play meaningful snaps in the playoffs, Sunday’s game is an opportunity for a tune-up should Allen miss any time.

Ravens Activate Charlie Kolar From IR

January 3rd, 2025 at 8:00pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Ravens activated tight end Charlie Kolar from injured reserve on Friday, per a team announcement. He is expected to play in Baltimore’s regular season finale against the Browns on Saturday.

Kolar broke his arm during the Ravens’ Week 12 matchup with the Chargers, though he played through the injury for much of the fourth quarter. He landed on injured reserve later that week and was designated to return a month later.

The third-year tight end has quietly been an effective blocker in Baltimore’s league-leading rushing attack while taking full advantage of his limited opportunities as a pass-catcher. Kolar has recorded career-highs in targets (11), receptions (nine), and yards (131), including a Week 5 catch-and-run for a career-long 55 yards. His 3.12 yards per route run lead all tight ends with at least 10 targets, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and he’s been targeted on 26.4% of his routes. With so many other weapons in the Ravens offense – including first-time Pro Bowler Zay Flowers – opposing defenses tend to overlook Kolar, especially when Lamar Jackson fakes a handoff to Derrick Henry.

Kolar’s recovery is an example of the Ravens’ relatively good health as they approach the playoffs. Only one started – nose tackle Michael Pierce – has been on injured reserve all year, and he has made an appropriately-big impact on the defense since his return in Week 15.

The Ravens did place cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis on injured reserve to clear a 53-man roster spot for Kolar. This is Armour-Davis’ second stint on IR this year and the fourth in his three-year career, reinforcing pre-draft injury concerns after he struggled with injuries at Alabama. He’s appeared in seven games this year with 94 snaps on defense and 135 on special teams. Armour-Davis will be eligible to return for the Super Bowl if the Ravens advance that far in the playoffs.

The Ravens also elevated defensive end Chris Wormley and wide receiver Anthony Miller from the practice squad for Saturday’s game. Both players have appeared in two games this season; Wormley has made four tackles on defense while Miller’s lone reception of the year went for 16 yards against the Texans on Christmas.

Chiefs Designate Jaylen Watson For Return

January 3rd, 2025 at 9:17am CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs have a rare opportunity at significant rest before the playoffs, earning the AFC’s No. 1 seed on Christmas Day. Andy Reid‘s team is taking advantage of that, being set to rest starters — to the point it is a double-digit underdog in Denver — in Week 18.

Kansas City is also starting to see some players lost early in the season return. Weeks after Isiah Pacheco and Marquise Brown‘s returns from IR, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz notes cornerback Jaylen Watson is being designated for return. Watson has been out since late October with a broken leg.

A 2022 seventh-round pick, Watson operated as the Chiefs’ initial L’Jarius Sneed replacement. Although the team was undecided on this job leading up to the season, Watson won it and played at least 93% of the team’s defensive snaps when healthy this season. The Chiefs will have three weeks to activate Watson. Considering they do not play a meaningful game for two weeks, the third-year defender has some time to complete his recovery.

Continuing a pattern of moving on from starting cornerbacks rather than paying them, the Chiefs dealt Sneed to the Titans for a 2025 third-round pick. After losing Williams, however, Kansas City has seen its usual blueprint fail to produce consistent coverage beyond standout Trent McDuffie.

In a small sample size this season, Pro Football Focus did have Watson rated 30th among corners. The boundary defender’s return stands to help a defense that already ranks second in points allowed heading into the playoffs. Watson replacement options Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson have each struggled. After playing a part-time role during the Chiefs’ 2022 and ’23 playoff runs, Watson figures to see extensive work — provided he is sufficiently recovered — during the team’s threepeat attempt.

These recoveries may well play a central role in the Chiefs’ chances at becoming the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls. Kansas City will not have Rashee Rice back, but beyond the promising wideout, the two-time defending champs could be nearly at full strength when they suit up for their divisional-round game. Watson is attempting to follow Pacheco in returning from a fractured fibula. While Kansas City (15-1) has received steady criticism for its run of narrow victories regardless of opponent quality, the experienced team will certainly be a tough out during the postseason.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/2/25

January 2nd, 2025 at 8:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Detroit Lions

Signed: S Morice Norris Jr.

Los Angeles Chargers

Signed: S Terrell Edmunds
Released: S Emany Johnson

San Francisco 49ers

Signed: DE Tarron Jackson

The Chargers added some veteran safety depth in Terrell Edmunds today. The former first-round pick most recently had a two-month stint with the Steelers, collecting seven tackles in five games. Alohi Gilman could soon return to the Chargers lineup, but the team will still be down two players at the position with Elijah Molden and Marcus Maye sidelined, so there could be some open snaps for their newest player.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/2/25

January 2nd, 2025 at 7:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Waived: LB Nicholas Morrow

Cincinnati Bengals

Signed to active roster: RB Kendall Milton

Detroit Lions

Waived: WR Tom Kennedy

New England Patriots

Waived: DT Haggai Ndubuisi

Seattle Seahawks

Signed to active roster: WR John Rhys Plumlee
Placed on IR: TE Brady Russell

The Patriots signed Haggai Ndubuisi off the Commanders practice squad just yesterday, but the team is already waiving the defensive tackle. As ESPN’s Mike Reiss notes, Ndubuisi is being waived with a non-football illness designation, an indication that something popped up during the player’s physical.

Brady Russell landed on IR today after the tight end dealt with a foot injury for much of the season. The special teamer got into 11 games with the Seahawks in 2024. In his place, the team signed John Rhys Plumlee from the practice squad. The rookie was listed by the Seahawks as a WR, but the former UCF QB served as an occasional signal-caller on Seattle’s scout team.

Cardinals Place James Conner On IR

January 1st, 2025 at 9:52pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Cardinals placed running back James Conner on injured reserve on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, sidelining him for Arizona’s regular season finale against the 49ers.

Conner has been dealing with a “lingering right knee injury” this season, according to Cardinals team reporter Darren Urban. The two-time Pro Bowler left the game in Week 6 and again in Week 17, though he did not miss a start in between. Conner will join two other Cardinals running backs – rookie Trey Benson and Emari Demercado – on injured reserve.

Arizona turned to Michael Carter after Conner went down in Week 17 and is set to do so again after promoting him from the practice squad to fill its vacant 53-man roster spot. Carter began his career as a Jets fourth-round pick in 2021 and arrived in Arizona via waivers last season. He recorded 70 yards on 13 carries last week and will be looking to repeat his efficiency as an audition for a 2025 roster spot, with the Cardinals or elsewhere.

The Cardinals signed Conner to a two-year extension at the beginning of December, so they do not want to risk further injury to their expected lead ballcarrier for 2025. He is under contract through the 2026 season, though he could be released for $8MM in cap savings after next season, per OverTheCap.

Conner will finish the 2024 season with a career-high 1,094 rushing yards, though his per-carry and per-game averages were lower than last season. His 414 receiving yards were his most as a Cardinals and the second-highest total of his career.