Panthers Sign Robert Rochell, Place Corey Thornton On IR
The Panthers are signing cornerback Robert Rochell off the Cowboys’ practice squad, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. He’ll immediately join the Panthers’ active roster.
A fourth-round pick in 2021, Rochell started five regular-season games as a rookie for the Super Bowl-winning Rams. Rochell intercepted the lone pass of his career that season, but he didn’t factor into the Rams’ playoff run.
Now 27 years old, Rochell hasn’t started a single game since his rookie campaign. He has mostly served on special teams throughout his career. He worked as a reserve for the Rams over 17 games in 2022 before totaling 20 appearances over the next two seasons with the Packers.
Rochell signed with the Cowboys last June, but he didn’t survive final cuts. He hooked on with their practice squad after that and ended up appearing in two of the Cowboys’ games this season. All 16 of his snaps came on special teams.
The addition of Rochell will help the Panthers replace fellow corner Corey Thornton, who broke his fibula in a loss to the 49ers on Monday. With Thornton set to miss the rest of the season, the Panthers placed him on IR on Wednesday, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. The undrafted rookie from Louisville played in all of the Panthers’ first 12 games and made 14 tackles. He totaled 210 snaps (127 on defense, 83 on special teams).
In other Wednesday transactions, the Panthers signed linebacker Krys Barnes from their practice squad to their active roster. They also signed cornerback David Long to their taxi squad.
Barnes has received the maximum of three standard gameday elevations this year, meaning the Panthers had to sign him in order to use him again. Over 112 snaps (69 on defense, 43 on special teams), Barnes has made 12 tackles.
Long was previously with the Colts, who released him from their practice squad on Nov. 4. The 27-year-old hasn’t played in any games this season, but he combined for 79 appearances and 12 starts from 2019-24. Long had a three-game stint with the Panthers in 2023.
Jerry Jones: ‘Of Course’ Cowboys Want To Keep George Pickens
The Cowboys rallied from 21 points down to pull off a 24-21 win over the NFC East rival Eagles on Sunday. Wide receiver George Pickens was among the driving forces behind the team’s stunning comeback. The first-year Cowboy hauled in nine of Dak Prescott‘s passes for the second game in a row, racked up 146 yards, and scored a touchdown.
After a productive three-year run in Pittsburgh, which traded him in May, Pickens has found another gear with a change of scenery. The 24-year-old ranks second in the NFL in yards (1,054), third in TDs (a career-high eight), and eighth in catches (67, also a personal best). With Pickens scheduled to reach free agency in the offseason, he’s enjoying a breakout year at the right time.
While a trip to the open market would prove lucrative for Pickens, odds are he won’t get there. Even if Dallas and Pickens are unable to reach a long-term agreement before free agency begins in March, it seems likely the team will place the franchise tag on the wideout.
The tag would cost the Cowboys around $28MM, but it appears they’d be willing to make a longer commitment. The goal is to keep Pickens in the fold beyond 2026, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.
The two sides have not begun contract talks, according to Rapoport, but a tagged Pickens would be eligible for an extension until July 2026. That would give team and player a few months to work something out. The Cowboys haven’t used the tag on a receiver since Dez Bryant in March 2015. They ended up extending Bryant that July.
Neither Pickens nor his representatives at Athletes First would be thrilled with the tag, per Rapoport, who notes trading him for picks could be an option for the Cowboys if they can’t extend him. They’d prefer to avoid that, though.
Notably, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and one of Pickens’ agents, David Mulugheta, clashed during contract negotations for Micah Parsons last summer. After a long and contentious standoff, the Cowboys wound up trading Parsons to the Packers in a late-August blockbuster. The history between Jones and Mulugheta may not bode well on paper, though team sources told Rapoport it won’t stand in the way of a potential Pickens deal.
After watching Pickens help the Cowboys improve to 5-5-1 and stay in the playoff hunt in Week 12, Jones lavished praise on the star pass catcher, saying (via Jon Machota of The Athletic): “We are proud we’ve got him and I don’t know of anyone that has helped his team any more to win this year.”
When asked if he wants Pickens to stay with the Cowboys in 2026, Jones left no doubt.
“Of course, of course we are proud to have him and I don’t even want to play games with it, we’d love to have him on the team,” Jones said.
The Cowboys already have one massive receiver contract on their books after Jones authorized a four-year, $136MM extension for CeeDee Lamb in August 2024. Lamb is one of 10 receivers averaging upward of $30MM per year. Pickens is making a case to join him on an enormous multiyear pact of his own. At the very least, Pickens will approach the $30MM figure next season if he plays under the tag.
Cowboys Waive CB Kaiir Elam
The Cowboys made a trade for cornerback Kaiir Elam last March, but they’re moving on eight months later. The team announced that it has waived Elam. He’ll be free to sign anywhere if he goes unclaimed. If a team does claim Elam, it would take on the fully guaranteed $1MM left on his contract.
Elam isn’t far removed from going in the first round of the 2022 draft. The Bills traded up two spots to take Elam 23rd overall after a successful three-year run at Florida. It proved to be an ill-advised decision for Buffalo, though the team did find its No. 1 corner much later in the draft when it chose Christian Benford in the sixth round.
Elam wound up starting in 12 of 29 appearances with the Bills and totaling two interceptions. Both picks came during his rookie season. An ankle injury helped limit Elam to three games in his second year. He returned to play in 13 games in 2024, mostly working as a reserve. In his final game with the Bills, an AFC championship game loss to the Chiefs last January, Elam struggled filling in for Benford after the latter left early with a concussion.
The Bills cut the cord on Elam two months after the Chiefs knocked them out. They sent Elam and a 2025 sixth-round choice to the Cowboys for a 2025 fifth-rounder and a 2026 seventh-rounder. While Dallas believed enough in Elam to take a cheap flier on him, it unsurprisingly declined his fifth-year option (worth around $12.68MM) not long after acquiring him.
Elam ended up starting in seven of 10 games with the Cowboys, who own the NFL’s 30th-ranked pass defense. The 24-year-old contributed to their woes, allowing 25 completions, 372 yards, and three touchdowns before the Cowboys cut him. Opposing quarterbacks have managed a 105.0 passer rating when throwing Elam’s way this season. Pro Football Focus rates his performance 61st among 108 cornerbacks.
With rookie corner Shavon Revel debuting in Week 11 after missing the Cowboys’ first nine games, Elam didn’t play a snap in their win over the Raiders on Monday. Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus left Elam on the bench in favor of Revel, Caelen Carson, DaRon Bland, and Reddy Steward. Trevon Diggs could rejoin that group in the coming weeks if he returns from a concussion that forced him to IR on Oct. 25.
With Elam no longer occupying a spot, the Cowboys signed running back Malik Davis from their practice squad to their active roster on Saturday. Davis has recorded seven carries for 26 yards in four games this season. Most of his work (67 of 90 snaps) has come on special teams.
CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens Benched For First Series Of Week 11; Latest On Pickens’ Future
NOVEMBER 20: Lamb revealed on Thursday (via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News) that he and Pickens were disciplined for missing curfew the night before the game. The two were out late at Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
NOVEMBER 18: Dallas rolled to a 33-16 win in Las Vegas on Monday, but the game started oddly for the Cowboys. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer left the Cowboys’ top two wide receivers, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, on the bench for the team’s first offensive series. Both players ended up making major contributions in the Cowboys’ victory, but it was initially unclear why they didn’t start.
Owner Jerry Jones addressed the situation afterward (links via Jon Machota of The Athletic), saying Schottenheimer’s decision “had to do with meeting type discipline.” Jones added that Lamb and Pickens “had a late problem there.”
Lamb declined to discuss the matter on Monday, while Pickens said the brief benching had to do with “certain personnel” (via Machota).
Regardless of what exactly happened, it quickly became water under the bridge for Schottenheimer. The first-year HC was effusive when speaking about the receiving tandem after the game (via Todd Archer of ESPN).
Schottenheimer said that “[Lamb and Pickens] literally jump-started the offense when they got back in. They didn’t hang their heads, didn’t do any of that stuff. That’s why I love those guys, man.”
Lamb had a strong night, catching five passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. Pickens produced all-world numbers with nine grabs, 144 yards, and a score. They accounted for more than half of quarterback Dak Prescott‘s 25 completions and 210 of his 268 passing yards.
The Cowboys already have Lamb under wraps for the next few seasons, having signed the star WR1 to a four-year, $136MM extension in August 2024. Pickens’ future is up in the air, though, as he remains on track to reach free agency in the offseason.
Pickens had some behind-the-scenes issues, including with punctuality, in Pittsburgh. The Steelers then decided to move on from Pickens in the offseason, trading him and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Cowboys for a 2026 third-rounder and a 2027 fifth-rounder.
Aside from Schottenheimer’s minor disciplinary measure on Monday, there hasn’t been any reported drama involving Pickens since he got to Dallas. On the field, the 24-year-old is easily on pace for the best season of his career. He ranks second in the NFL in receiving yards (908), tied for third in TDs (seven), and 11th in catches (58).
Pickens is playing his way into a sizable multiyear contract, especially if he hits the open market. However, the Cowboys could place the franchise tag on Pickens if they don’t reach an agreement before March. That would cost around $29MM, and it’s reportedly an avenue the Cowboys will strongly consider. Jones seems prepared to keep Pickens one way or other.
Asked if the Cowboys could build a balanced roster with Lamb, Pickens, and a $60MM defensive tackle trio (Quinnen Williams, Osa Odighizuwa, and Kenny Clark) eating up an enormous amount of cap space, Jones told 105.3 The Fan, “Yes. Yes.”
The Cowboys will enter the offseason needing to clear out roughly $47MM just to get back to even, per Over the Cap. While Jones seems unfazed, he’ll have work to do to open up spending room to retain Pickens and address other needs on the roster.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/19/25
Here are today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Jared Bartlett, WR Trent Sherfield, T Trey Wedig
- Released: WR Jalen Virgil
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Jacoby Windmon
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: G Nick Leverett
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Damon Arnette
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: CB Alex Johnson
New England Patriots
- Signed: S John Saunders Jr.
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Jha’Quan Jackson
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Tomon Fox
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Stone Blanton
- Released: WR Russell Gage
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/19/25
Wednesday’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Claimed off waivers (from Cowboys): LB Damone Clark
- Waived: K Matthew Wright
Los Angeles Chargers
- Claimed off waivers (from Rams): S Chris Smith
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed from practice squad: K Harrison Mevis
Miami Dolphins
- Signed off Rams’ practice squad: CB A.J. Green
- Placed on IR: CB JuJu Brents (story)
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: WR Kevin Austin
New York Giants
- Designated for return from reserve/PUP: RB Eric Gray
Philadelphia Eagles
- Practice window opened: T Myles Hinton
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Reverted to season-ending IR: CB Cory Trice
21 days have gone by since the Steelers opened Trice’s practice window. They’ve made the decision not to activate him from injured reserve, so he will remain on IR without the possibility of being activated.
Gray has been on New York’s physically unable to perform list since they set their initial 53-man roster. With rookie running back Cam Skattebo hitting IR earlier in the season, Gray’s return could add some needed depth at the position.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/18/25
Here are the latest practice squad moves around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Andrew Steuber
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Brandon Codrington
Carolina Panthers
- Released: S Israel Mukuamu
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: C Wesley French
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DE Viliami Fehoko, S George Odum, WR Eli Pancol, DT Chris Wormley
- Released: DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, TE Maximilian Mang, CB Troy Pride
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: OT Leroy Watson
New England Patriots
- Signed: DL Fabien Lovett Sr.
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR John Rhys Plumlee
- Released: S Jack Henderson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Velus Jones, WR Brenden Rice
- Released: TE Marshall Lang, CB Mike Reid
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: QB Adrian Martinez
- Released: RB Sincere McCormick
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Marcus Banks
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Lance McCutcheon, WR Kristian Wilkerson
Reeves-Maybin, the current NFLPA president, spent most of his career with the Lions but was released this offseason. He worked out with the 49ers in October and now returns to the NFC North with the Bears.
Odum began his NFL career in Indianapolis and is now returning to the Colts after a three-year stint with the 49ers. He will likely provide depth on special teams when elevated from the practice squad.
Kpassagnon, meanwhile, will be looking for his third team this season. He signed in Chicago this offseason to reunite with Dennis Allen, the Bears’ defensive coordinator and Kpassagnon’s former coach in New Orleans. He played 89 snaps across five games in Chicago before he was released. He then signed with the Colts’ practice squad, but did not make any appearances in blue and white.
The Seahawks signed Jones to their practice squad, but he was released the following day in a health-related move, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. Rice, the son of NFL legend Jerry Rice, will get to play for one of his father’s former teams. Jerry Rice played for the Seahawks during his last season in 2004.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/18/25
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed off Titans’ practice squad: CB Sam Webb
- Placed on IR: CB Dom Jones
- Waived: WR Kaden Davis
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: DT Perrion Winfrey
- Waived: LB Damone Clark
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: S Chris Smith
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: WR Calvin Ridley (story)
- Signed from practice squad: WR James Proche
Washington Commanders
- Waived: WR Jacoby Jones
After winning the Senior Bowl MVP in 2022, Winfrey entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Browns a few months later. He totaled 22 tackles and a half-sack in 13 games as a rookie. That proved to be Winfrey’s lone season in Cleveland, which waived him a few months after a misdemeanor assault charge in 2023.
Winfrey played in one game with the Jets in his second season before a stint with the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions last year. The 290-pounder earned All-UFL honors, leading the Cowboys to sign him in June, but a back injury forced him to IR in early September. Now that they’ve brought Winfrey back, the Cowboys have just three activations remaining.
Winfrey’s return comes at the expense of Clark, a Cowboy since they took him in the fifth round in 2022. The former LSU Tiger was a 17-game starter who racked up 109 tackles in 2023, but his playing time drastically fell off after that. While Clark appeared in eight of Dallas’ games this year and made two starts, 138 of his 217 snaps came on special teams.
The Cowboys swung a trade with the Bengals for linebacker Logan Wilson earlier this month and recently welcomed back fellow LB DeMarvion Overshown from injury. With those in-season reinforcements in the fold, the Cowboys deemed Clark expendable.
Nikhil Mehta contributed to this article.
Cowboys Activate S Malik Hooker From IR
The Cowboys defense has struggled mightily in 2025, but the team will be getting some veteran reinforcement in time for Monday Night Football. According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, the team has activated safety Malik Hooker from injured reserve.
[RELATED: Cowboys Designate Malik Hooker For Return]
Hooker suffered a toe injury back in Week 4 that has shelved him for more than a month. He was designated for return from IR just last Thursday, and the Cowboys didn’t take long to add him to the active roster.
After serving in a rotational role during his first season in Dallas, Hooker has emerged as one of the team’s most dependable defenders in recent years. He missed only a pair of games between 2022 and 2024, starting 38 of his 49 appearances while hauling in six interceptions. For his efforts, Pro Football Focus graded him as an above-average safety in each of those three campaigns, including a 13th-place showing in 2022 and 14th-place finish in 2023.
After dropping down to 43rd at his position in 2024, PFR ranked Hooker only 58th among 93 qualifiers in 2025. Still, that should represent an upgrade over the revolving door of safeties the Cowboys have turned to next to Donovan Wilson, who has missed the past two contests with an elbow/shoulder issue. Juanyeh Thomas got an initial look in the starting lineup, while Markquese Bell has seen the bulk of the snaps at the position in recent weeks. Alijah Clark and Zion Childress have also gotten some run in the secondary.
To make room on the roster, the team placed rookie offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius on injured reserve. The sixth-round pick has been dealing with a knee injury that will sideline him for at least the next month. The Cowboys also promoted running back Malik Davis from the practice squad for tonight’s matchup against the Raiders.
Cowboys Activate LB DeMarvion Overshown, CB Shavon Revel
NOVEMBER 14: Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones confirmed on 105.3 The Fan (via The Athletic’s Jon Machota) that Revel would make his NFL debut on Monday, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. Overshown is expected to be on a pitch count, per Machota, though the 25-year-old linebacker said that he wanted to be on the field when “a play needs to be made.”
NOVEMBER 11: The Cowboys’ defense has been one of the NFL’s worst units this year, to the point the team made two deadline-day deals — for Logan Wilson and Quinnen Williams — to help stabilize it. When those two players debut with Dallas, the team will have more reinforcements en route.
DeMarvion Overshown and Shavon Revel are moving onto the 53-man roster Tuesday, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. The Cowboys will activate the third-year linebacker from the reserve/PUP list and the rookie third-round cornerback from the reserve/NFI list.
Each player’s 21-day activation clock would have expired today, a season-ending development, had the Cowboys not followed through with the expected activations. Both are expected to debut against the Raiders in Week 11, per WFAA’s Ed Werder. The team also placed safety Juanyeh Thomas on the reserve/non-football illness list, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adds.
Overshown is coming back from a severe knee injury sustained in December 2024. The 2023 draftee has suffered two ACL tears since entering the NFL. Revel has been on the shelf since September 2024 after sustaining an ACL tear during his final East Carolina season. Next to nothing has gone right for the Cowboys’ defense this season, but the unit having four starter-level cogs returning at once does stand to provide a boost — as the club attempts to mount a last-ditch wild-card push.
While the topic of a 3-5-1 team being a deadline buyer has generated considerable debate, the Cowboys made that move by piecing together a surprising trade package — a 2027 first-rounder (the higher of Dallas’ two firsts), a 2026 second and defensive tackle Mazi Smith — to obtain Williams. As Williams will take his place as a D-line starter, Overshown has a path back to a first-string role at linebacker. He and Wilson will be tasked with helping that unit, which has been a low-priority position in Dallas for a while.
Week 11 has loomed as Overshown’s return point for a bit; he went down in Week 14 last season. In addition to suffering his second ACL tear as a pro, Overshown sustained MCL and PCL tears to lengthen his recovery timetable. A 2023 third-round pick, Overshown played well in a 13-game sample last season. He registered 90 tackles (eight for loss) and came through with an impressive five sacks despite manning an off-ball LB role in Mike Zimmer‘s defense. Overshown has now had three weeks to practice in Matt Eberflus‘ defense.
Pro Football Focus ranks both Kenneth Murray and Shemar James as bottom-10 linebackers (among qualified options) this season. The Cowboys have Jack Sanborn on IR as well. Wilson and Overshown should see immediate playing time, though it would not surprise if the latter is brought along slowly. Still, this represents a key stretch for Overshown, who will need to show sustained health if a lucrative second contract — from the Cowboys or another team — is considered. He has missed 30 games through 2 1/2 seasons.
Revel’s debut was expected to commence earlier than Week 11. A return within the Cowboys’ first five games was viewed as likely, with an earlier report pegging September as in play. It would then stand to reason for Revel to be brought along slowly as well. Though, it will be interesting to see how cautious the Cowboys will be with both recovering talents, as they are in danger of falling out of playoff contention — largely because of the defense’s struggles.
Viewed as a first-round talent before his injury, Revel still declared for the draft after his lost final college season. His return comes at an opportune time, as Trevon Diggs is on IR with a concussion. Diggs and DaRon Bland have struggled to stay healthy, and the Cowboys have fared poorly in coverage this season. Revel’s usage will be interesting to follow. While Diggs is more likely than not to be cut in 2026, Bland and Revel profile as a potential long-term tandem.