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NFL Minor Transactions: 8/11/25

August 11th, 2025 at 8:18pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: TE McCallan Castles
  • Waived/injured: TE Anthony Torres

Minnesota Vikings

  • Claimed off waivers (from Falcons): G Michael Gonzalez
  • Placed on IR: OT Matt Nelson

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: TE Kevin Foelsch, DB Mikey Victor
  • Waived: TE D.J. Thomas-Jones
  • Waived/injured: DB Cameron McCutcheon

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: LB Alphonzo Tuputala
  • Waived: CB Kam Alexander

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

A handful of players injured in the first week of the preseason were placed on IR today, effectively ending their seasons early. These players won’t be allowed to play for their current squads in 2025, although they could place elsewhere if they’re released from injured reserve (often via an injury settlement).

Among those who landed on IR includes Texans DT Marlon Davidson, who remained in his team’s preseason opener after suffering a biceps injury. Vikings lineman Matt Nelson also suffered a biceps injury that will land him on IR. The veteran just joined Minnesota last week.

In addition to bringing back old friend Jeff Wilson, the 49ers made a handful of additional moves today. This includes shifting veteran RB Ameer Abdullah to injured reserve. Abdullah suffered a rib injury that will prevent him from taking the field with San Francisco this season. The veteran is coming off one of the most productive seasons of his career in 2024, when he compiled 572 yards from scrimmage in 16 games (three starts) with the Raiders. The 49ers also added defensive lineman Trevis Gipson, who started 19 games for the Bears between 2021 and 2022.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/25

August 6th, 2025 at 7:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

  • Waived/injured: TE Jordan Murray

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived: TE McCallan Castles

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Bills LB Baylon Spector suffered a calf injury earlier this week that ultimately cost him his roster spot, but he seems destined to ultimately land on the team’s injured reserve. Buffalo was quick to add Jimmy Ciarlo as the replacement. The former West Point captain spent most of his rookie campaign with the Jets, and he garnered auditions with the Giants and Patriots after getting let go by Gang Green in May.

The Texans added some depth at wide receiver in Quintez Cephus, although it came at the expense of Johnny Johnson III. The former Lions draft pick lasted three seasons in Detroit, where he hauled in 37 receptions for 568 yards and four touchdowns. Cephus was banned for the 2023 campaign for violating the league’s gambling policy, and he’s since had stints with the Bills, Texans, Rams, and 49ers. Following his first gig in Houston, he had a brief stint playing under Nick Caley in Los Angeles.

Browns To Start Shedeur Sanders In Preseason Opener

August 6th, 2025 at 8:49am CST by Sam Robinson

AUGUST 6: Kevin Stefanski confirmed (via Cabot) the Browns will indeed turn to Sanders to start their preseason opener. It is not yet certain if Huntley will play, Stefanski added (via the Akron Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling). With Flacco not suiting up and Huntley uncertain, Sanders would stand to see significant game time due to Cleveland’s injury situation.

AUGUST 5: Injuries have stalled the Browns’ four-man quarterback competition. They will lead to an unlikely starter to open Cleveland’s preseason docket.

Shedeur Sanders, who has yet to take a first-team snap during training camp, is expected to start the Browns’ exhibition opener Friday, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reports. Recently deemed a long shot to win the starting job, Sanders will receive this opportunity due to injuries sustained by Kenny Pickett and third-rounder Dillon Gabriel.

The Browns will pass on Joe Flacco playing in this game, per Cabot, and they added Tyler Huntley — who spent the 2024 offseason in Cleveland — as another option for this contest. Pickett has acknowledged he is losing ground due to the hamstring injury he sustained, one that has Flacco positioned as the best bet to start in Week 1. The Browns have plenty of intel on Flacco, so holding out their 40-year-old option makes sense.

Sanders’ participation in the game is interesting by itself, as the fifth-round rookie is battling a sore shoulder. It is evidently not a notable enough issue to prompt the Browns to sideline him for their preseason debut against the Panthers. Gabriel joins Pickett in nursing a hamstring injury.

Mentioned for months as a likely first-round pick, Sanders saw his stock nosedive during a pre-draft process he handled poorly. The second-generation NFLer’s attitude alienated teams, and a lower-than-expected football IQ preceded a stunning drop to the fifth round. Sanders arrived two rounds after the Browns chose Gabriel, calling ownership involvement into question. Jimmy Haslam has said GM Andrew Berry made the call to draft Sanders, who was certainly a value add at No. 144. But he has not been deemed a serious threat to open the season as Cleveland’s starter. Two speeding infractions since being drafted also brought unwanted attention to the polarizing prospect.

That said, Sanders has shown improvement since being buried on the depth chart during the Browns’ offseason program. Still, not taking a first-team rep during camp does not point to a likely regular-season starting assignment. Flacco’s age and Pickett’s shaky NFL work to date could open the door for Gabriel or Sanders to make starts at some point, but Gabriel losing time to this hamstring issue does not help his cause.

Sanders’ preseason outing will give him a chance Gabriel now lacks, and it will be interesting to see if the Browns’ view of the two rookies — Gabriel has held an edge on the two-year Colorado starter throughout his short Cleveland stay — heading into the second preseason week.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/25

August 5th, 2025 at 6:32pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

  • Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): TE Mason Pline
  • Waived: TE Seth Green

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Dial, the Patriots second-year cornerback and special teamer, will miss his second year in the NFL after suffering a torn ACL. In cheerier news, Opeta returns to a practice field for the first time in over a year. The former Eagles backup lineman was hoping to compete for a starting left guard spot last year before tearing his ACL in the first week of camp.

Campbell makes his way off the Cowboys roster after being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. Injuries continue to be an issue for the Ohio State alum, who has missed 51 of a possible 100 regular season games over his first six years in the league and is set to miss even more this year.

Browns Sign QB Tyler Huntley

August 4th, 2025 at 10:10pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

With a few minor injuries hampering their quarterback room, the Browns added some depth on Monday by reuniting with Tyler Huntley, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The move is now official.

Kenny Pickett has been nursing a hamstring injury for the last week, and Dillon Gabriel was limited with a similar issue on Monday, per Schefter. Shedeur Sanders has also been experiencing shoulder soreness, so veteran Joe Flacco entered the day as the team’s only fully healthy passer.

The Browns’ first preseason matchup is scheduled for Friday night in Carolina, and neither Pickett nor Gabriel are expected to play, per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. The 40-year-old Flacco played all of six preseason snaps last year, and pushing Sanders to play most of the game with a sore shoulder seems like an unnecessary risk.

Enter Huntley, who spent the 2024 offseason and preseason with the Browns but did not make their 53-man roster. He briefly signed with the Ravens’ practice squad before finishing the year with five starts in Miami. His familiarity with the Browns’ offense will allow him to serve as a camp arm and absorb preseason snaps as the rest of the team’s quarterbacks get back to full health.

He is not expected to factor into the starting competition, which has swung back-and-forth between Flacco and Pickett this summer. Though, this does bring about an interesting development due to Cleveland’s crowded depth chart. Huntley has gone from making five starts a Tua Tagovailoa relief — after making a name for himself as a Lamar Jackson fill-in — to being what could amount to a camp body. It will be interesting to see if this reunion amounts to more than that, as Huntley is still just 27 and has made 14 career starts. The Browns had carried him through past waivers last year but ultimately cut bait shortly after. The Cardinals worked out Huntley in April but did not sign him.

Flacco is atop the Browns’ first unofficial depth chart as Pickett’s absence in camp has set him back in his quest to win the starting job, something he acknowledged this weekend.

“I’m trying to get back out there as fast as possible,” said Pickett (via Cabot). “I’ve never had a soft tissue injury like this, so really a first-time experience in my career.” 

The former Steelers first-round pick is still ahead of his rookie teammates, with Gabriel listed as the third-stringer and Sanders behind him. That ranking reflects the snap distribution between the two rookies. Gabriel gets on the field before Sanders and takes more reps, but the latter has been more accurate this summer, according to The Athletic’s Zac Jackson. While neither is expected to start early in the season, Jackson suggested that Sanders’ rapid development could get him on the field later in the year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/25

August 4th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

NFL teams are continuing to adjust their rosters to weather injuries and add depth with preseason games kicking off later this week. Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: CB Luq Barcoo, CB D.J. Miller
  • Waived/injured: RB Kye Robichaux
  • Placed on IR: S Dan Jackson

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

The Lions’ additions were likely a result of a shoulder injury to second-year cornerback Ennis Rakestraw. Head coach Dan Campbell said (via team writer Tim Twentyman) that “it’s going to be a while, at best” until Rakestraw returns to the field.

Ballentine returns to Green Bay, where he spent the last three seasons, after a brief stint in Indianapolis this offseason. He started six games and played 488 snaps for the Packers in 2023, but primarily contributed on special teams in 2022 and 2024.

The Giants are dealing with a number of injuries in their running back room, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. Only Tyrone Tracy, Devin Singletary, and Darius Miller are healthy, and the first two may not play much in the preseason. New York worked out a number of running backs on Monday, including Myles Gaskin and Isaiah Spiller (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson), but Ward impressed enough to join the squad moving forward.

Finley went down with a knee injury at training camp that is believed to be serious, pending additional tests, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. Triner, meanwhile, will fill in for Seahawks third-year long snapper Chris Stoll, who is dealing with a back issue, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/3/25

August 3rd, 2025 at 5:46pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the minor NFL moves to close out the first weekend of August:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

  • Waived: T Ozzie Hutchinson

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

A couple more players waived with injury designations recently have made their way back to their teams on injured reserve.

In Philadelphia, Johnstone won an audition in which the Eagles worked out four longsnappers. This is Johnstone’s first NFL contract after going undrafted out of Appalachian State this year.

NFL Minor Transactions: 8/1/25

August 1st, 2025 at 6:56pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the first minor NFL moves in August:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

CB Greg Newsome Hopes To Finish Career With Browns

August 1st, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Adam La Rose

Greg Newsome has frequently been mentioned in trade talks, but he is set to remain with the Browns for 2025. As he enters what could be a make-or-break Cleveland season, the former first-round corner aims to land a new commitment from the team.

The Browns exercised Newsome’s fifth-year option last spring. As a result of the move, he is due $13.38MM for 2025, a season in which a starting role on the outside should await him. The Achilles tear suffered by Martin Emerson this week will sideline him for the 2025 season and leave Cleveland without a full-time CB starter. Denzel Ward will remain in place as a perimeter starter, but in Emerson’s absence Newsome should move from the slot to the boundary.

A strong campaign in that role would help Newsome’s value on his second NFL contract, regardless of where it comes from. The 25-year-old saw a notable decline in playing time and struggled in coverage last season before landing on injured reserve. In the wake of those developments – along with a looming Emerson raise provided he lands a new Browns pact – Newsome has long been connected to trade rumors. If the Northwestern product has his way, though, he will remain in Cleveland through the remainder of his career.

“I’ve said it since the day I was drafted, I want to be a Brown for life, and in order to do that I got to hold [up] my end of the bargain,” Newsome said when asked about his future (via Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal). “The good thing is I’m starting this training camp healthy so I’m able to get out there and get the reps in before the season starts, and that’s my main goal. It’s always been my goal is to be a Brown for life, so I got to hold up my end of the bargain.”

Newsome has 54 games and 42 starts to his name, but he will look for a healthier and more productive 2025 than his previous campaign (in which he was charged with four touchdowns and a passer rating of 112.5 allowed in coverage). While the Browns struggled in total defense last season, they ranked 12th against the pass. Improvement in both areas will be difficult without Emerson, but Newsome figures to have a notable role in the effort to take a step forward.

Given his age, Newsome would be at least an attractive depth option for contending teams leading up to the trade deadline. An encouraging season would also boost his free agent stock, but it will be interesting to see if the Browns show a willingness to authorize a long-term pact in the event they retain him through the regular season.

NFL Minor Transactions: 7/31/25

July 31st, 2025 at 8:35pm CST by Ben Levine

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.

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