Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
Chicago Bears
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Kansas City Chiefs
New York Giants
Pittsburgh Steelers
The 2024 offseason brought a change in how teams could construct their 53-man rosters while retaining flexibility with injured players. Clubs were permitted to attach return designations to two players (in total) placed on IR or an NFI list before setting their initial rosters.
In prior years, anyone placed on IR before a team set its initial 53-man roster could not be activated in-season. All August 26 IR- or NFI-return designations, however, already count against teams’ regular-season limit of eight. Teams will be tasked with determining which players injured in-season will factor into activation puzzles as the year progresses.
All players designated for return on August 26 became eligible to be activated beginning in Week 5, though any player placed on IR after a team set its initial 53 has not been designated for return and therefore does not yet count toward a club’s eight-activation limit. Playoff teams will receive two additional injury activations once the postseason begins.
Here is how the 32 teams’ activation puzzles look for Week 13:
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Reverted to season-ending IR:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 6
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 3
Activated:
Activations remaining: 3
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 2
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Designated for return:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Activations remaining: 6
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Designated for return:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 3
Designated for return:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 7
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 3
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 3
Activated:
Activations remaining: 7
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Reverted to season-ending IR:
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Reverted to season-ending IR:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 7
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Wil Lutz has enjoyed a strong tenure with the Broncos. The veteran kicker will remain in the Mile High City for the foreseeable future.
Lutz and the Broncos have agreed to a three-year extension, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report. As a result of the deal, the 31-year-old will be on the books through 2028. Lutz (who was on track for free agency) has been with Denver since 2023, head coach Sean Payton‘s first year with the Broncos.
The former Saints reunited after Lutz spent a total of six seasons with New Orleans. The former UDFA had by far the worst campaign of his career in 2022, sparking a trade from the Saints to the Broncos. Things have gone much better in Denver, with Lutz posting field goal success rates of 88.2% and 91.2% during his first two seasons there.
In 2025, the Georgia State product has remained one of the league’s most consistent kickers. Lutz has only missed three of his 20 field goal attempts; he has also gone 24-for-24 on extra point tries. With four game-winning kicks so far this season, Lutz leads the league in that regard. He has served as a key factor in the Broncos’ 9-2 record, and expectations will remain high moving forward.
After playing out the final year of his deal during his debut Broncos season, Lutz inked a two-year pact averaging $4.2MM per season. It will be interesting to see where this newest contract checks in from a financial perspective. The kicker market now includes 10 players attached to an AAV of $5MM or more and two averaging at least $6MM annually. Lutz should not be expected to move to the top of the pecking order, but a small raise would come as little surprise.
The Broncos have a number of starters on both sides of the ball who are still on track to see their contracts expire at the end of the season. At least one notable piece of business has now been taken care of on that front, however, and Denver could look to handle more pending free agents over the coming weeks.
Darren Sproles is back in the NFL, but the former pass-catching RB is now joining the coaching ranks. During a recent appearance on Up & Adams with Kay Adams, Sproles revealed that he’s been invited by Sean Payton to join the Broncos as a coaching intern.
“Sean has called me up on it, and I think I’ll take him up on it,” Sproles said (h/t Trent Finnegan of DenverSports.com). “I feel like my next calling is to coach.”
Sproles had the most productive stretch of his career playing under Payton in New Orleans. The former Chargers fourth-round pick joined the Saints ahead of the 2011 season and proceeded to set career-highs in touches (173), yards from scrimmage (1,313), and touchdowns (nine). While he wouldn’t match those numbers again in his career, he still averaged more than 860 yards per season between 2012 and 2013.
With 553 receptions, Sproles rightfully earned a reputation as one of the league’s premier pass-catching backs. Naturally, the new coach is focused on working with similar players, and he pointed to Broncos practice squad RB Deuce Vaughn as the player he’s most excited to work with.
“I see a younger me. I see it in him,” Sproles said about Vaughn. “His quickness, his speed, the way he is in space, I just want to tweak a couple things from him, but I feel like he can have a long career. Especially if he’s there in Denver with Sean, Sean’s going to put him in the right positions.”
Sproles isn’t the only former player that Payton recruited to Denver. Terron Armstead revealed earlier this year that Payton called him shortly after he announced his retirement. While the former Pro Bowl OL has an open invitation to join the coaching staff, he isn’t as interested as Sproles in pivoting to a coaching career.
“I said, Sean, I appreciate you, but no I’m not doing it because his hours is—nah, it’s not for me,” Armstead recently told the media (h/t NOF Network).
9:23pm: Dobbins has already undergone surgery for a Lisfranc injury, CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson reports. His recovery process is underway as a result, but the Broncos will be shorthanded in the backfield the rest of the way.
2:26pm: We knew the Broncos would be without starting running back J.K. Dobbins after he had been ruled out yesterday. We even knew that a stint on injured reserve was in consideration, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Dobbins is dealing with a significant ligament issue in his foot that — per the opinions of several experts — will require season-ending surgery. 
He has indeed been placed on IR and will remain there for the rest of the regular season. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that there is still a possibility Dobbins could return after the regular season ends, though it would likely require the team to make it to the Super Bowl. Pelissero details that Dobbins’ injury didn’t include a fracture but just a small tear, and the projected timeline for the recovery of that diagnosis would see him coming back in time for the league’s final game of the season.
Since getting drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, injuries have been a huge part of Dobbins’ NFL story. As a rookie splitting time with Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards, Dobbins led the room with 805 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns while sporting an impressive 6.0 yards per carry. Before his sophomore campaign could get started, he was sidelined for the season with a torn ACL, suffered in the team’s final preseason game.
Returning to the field two weeks into the 2022 season, Dobbins took over as RB1. After only four games back, Dobbins suffered another knee injury and was placed on IR for the second time. He was activated later in the year and delivered four strong performances to finish the season averaging 5.7 yards per carry. In 2023, the worst occurred once again. In Baltimore’s season opener, Dobbins left the game with a torn Achilles tendon, leading to his third IR placement and his second season-ending surgery.
Leaving Baltimore with the expiration of his rookie deal, Dobbins landed with the Chargers, beating out Edwards — who also left Baltimore for LA — for the starting job thanks to a huge Week 1 performance. Dobbins showed some durability for the first time since his rookie year, starting the first 12 games of the season before a matchup with his former team saw him suffer an MCL sprain. He was placed on IR (for the fourth time) for four games but was able to return to close out the season.
Now in Denver, Dobbins has played in all 10 games for the Broncos this year. The foot injury news popped up this week, and the new details today confirm the worst: Dobbins will be placed on IR for the fifth time in six years and will undergo his third season-ending surgery. Once again showing his mettle with a strong season this year, Dobbins had Denver considering an extension before the injury sidelined him. The Broncos will now have to factor his injury history even more into any considerations concerning a new contract.
Luckily for the Broncos, they still roster second-round rookie RJ Harvey. For the most part, throughout his rookie season, Harvey has played a major second fiddle to Dobbins, but he has displayed some strong potential with big plays here and there both on the ground and through the air. He’ll likely take the lead out of the backfield with Dobbins out, but Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin both remain on the roster with him, and McLaughlin boasts an impressive volume of backup experience.
Taking Dobbins’ place on IR will be linebacker Garret Wallow, who is being activated from IR after being designated to return earlier this week. The Broncos are also signing cornerback Reese Taylor from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, waiving wide receiver Trent Sherfield to make room, and veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis and linebacker Jordan Turner will be called up as standard gameday practice squad elevations. This will be Lewis’ third such elevation, so Denver will need to sign him to the active roster if they want him to appear in any games after this week.
NOVEMBER 14: Dobbins is dealing with a “significant” injury that will sideline him for “the foreseeable future,” per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. He and the Broncos are still evaluating their options, but an IR placement seems more likely in the wake of the most recent news.
NOVEMBER 11: Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins suffered a foot injury in last Thursday’s win over the Raiders that could land him on injured reserve.
Denver is considering placing Dobbins on IR, per Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette, which would sidelined him for the next four games. The Broncos have a bye in Week 12, so Dobbins’ earliest return would come in Week 16.
Dobbins hurt his foot on a hip drop tackle by a Raiders defender, though the play was not flagged. He left the game with about 4:30 remaining in the third quarter with rookie RJ Harvey handling the remaining carries. Dobbins seems poised to miss some time, even if he does not land on IR, so Harvey could see a major uptick in work after producing a number of explosive plays in recent weeks. Depth running backs Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin should also see a few more opportunities with Dobbins sidelined.
This would be Dobbins’ fifth stint on injured reserve since entering the league as a Ravens second-round pick in 2020. He suffered a torn ACL before his second season, a knee injury the following year, and a torn Achilles at the beginning of the 2023 season. He signed with the Chargers during the 2024 offseason and suffered an MCL sprain in November that sidelined him until late December.
Dobbins has been hit with the ‘injury-prone’ tag since his time in Baltimore, and this latest injury will continue that perception. He expressed interest in an extension with the Broncos, but will likely need to prove he can stay healthy for him to receive a multi-year commitment in Denver or anywhere else.
Stefon Diggs has been a key factor in the Patriots’ 2025 success so far. The free agent addition drew interest from other suitors, with one finalist emerging before his ultimate decision to join New England. 
Diggs’ decision came down to the Patriots over the Broncos, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports (video link). Denver was known to be in the market for a veteran addition at the receiver spot this past spring, but no major moves took place on that front. The Broncos would have been interested in Diggs (along with Cooper Kupp) on a low-cost deal, but in both cases a lucrative pact wound up being signed.
Indeed, Diggs secured $16.6MM in full guarantees on his three-year, $63.5MM Patriots contract. Further locked-in money exists in the form of injury guarantees, a sign of New England’s confidence a full recovery from Diggs’ 2024 ACL tear would take place. The soon-to-be 32-year-old has played every game so far this season, comfortably leading the team in receiving yards (659) and scoring three touchdowns.
Continued production will help the Patriots maintain their chase for the AFC’s top seed and move all parties further away from the uncertainty which surrounded Diggs in the offseason. Questions about New England cutting the four-time Pro Bowler were initially raised in the wake of the “unidentified pink substance” video and head coach Mike Vrabel‘s reaction to it. In the end, the team elected to proceed with Diggs in the fold.
That decision has certainly paid off to date. On the other hand, though, Denver’s hesitation to make a big free agent splash has not prevented the team from enjoying a strong campaign as well. The Broncos sit atop the AFC West with an 8-2 record (albeit with questions about their consistency in the passing game) and offseason signings like safety Talanoa Hufanga have played a critical role in their success.
The Broncos did not wind up making any receiver additions at the trade deadline, so their performances at the position down the stretch will be worth watching. In the meantime, Diggs will aim to continue operating as a central figure in New England’s offense for the closing stages of 2025 and beyond.
Here are the latest minor moves from around the NFL…
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Denver Broncos
Jacksonville Jaguars
New England Patriots
New York Giants
Conner, a sixth-round pick from Texas, has yet to debut as a rookie after suffering a knee injury in the preseason. The Cardinals placed Conner on IR with a return designation when they trimmed their roster to 53 players on Aug. 26. Now that Conner’s back at practice, the Cardinals will have 21 days to activate him.
Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson will miss Thursday’s game against the Jets with a toe injury, leading the Pats to elevate Johnson. He’ll work behind TreVeyon Henderson and Terrell Jennings, though the latter is playing through a knee issue. It’s the third and final standard elevation of the year for Johnson, meaning the Patriots will have to sign him to their active roster if they want to promote him again. The 29-year-old has totaled just 15 snaps (nine on special teams, six on offense) this season.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:
Buffalo Bills
Denver Broncos
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Wallace was one of three defensive backs to work out in Houston today alongside nickelback Beanie Bishop and safety Brandon Hill. Though Bishop showed promise in parts of his rookie campaign last year, Wallace boasts the most experience of the three and has been added to the fold as the Texans attempt to make up for the absences of M.J. Stewart and Jalen Pitre.
Here are today’s midweek NFL minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Johnston’s injuries have seemingly led to him looking for a new team yet again, assuming he clears waivers. The veteran punter signed with Pittsburgh last year, following two three-year stints in Philadelphia and Houston. In his first game as a Steeler, though, Johnston suffered a season-ending knee injury on his kicking leg. He’d been given a chance to win the job back from Corliss Waitman, who had filled in during his absence, but lost the job and a spot on the team’s initial 53-man roster.
Rebounding quickly, Johnston signed with the Bills after they made a quick decision to move on from Brad Robbins following their season opener. Johnston got through three games with his new team before suffered an injury on his planting foot that would lead him to injured reserve. Now, the veteran heads to the waiver wire before he’ll have the ability to shop himself out for new opportunities.