NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/31/25
Several teams made practice squad moves on the final day of the 2025 calendar year. Here are the latest updates:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Patrick Jenkins
Chicago Bears
- Activated from practice squad IR: TE Nokola Kalinic
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: G Karsen Barnhart, CB Tyron Herring, QB Desmond Ridder
Houston Texans
- Signed: DE Solomon Byrd
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: RB Sincere McCormick
- Released: LB Austin Keys
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from practice squad IR: QB Hunter Dekkers
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LS Charley Hughlett
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Jaheim Bell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Josh Williams
Washington Commanders
- Signed: G Sala Aumavae-Laulu, DE D.J. Johnson
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/31/25
Several NFL teams completed minor transactions on New Year’s Eve to prepare their rosters for Week 18. Here are the latest updates:
Atlanta Falcons
- Designated for return from IR: S DeMarcco Hellams
Chicago Bears
- Placed on IR: LB Noah Sewell
Cleveland Browns
- Signed from the Lions’ practice squad: C Kingsley Eguakun
- Placed on IR: G Wyatt Teller
Green Bay Packers
- Signed from practice squad: S Johnathan Baldwin, QB Clayton Tune
- Placed on IR: S Zayne Anderson
New England Patriots
- Designated for return from IR: CB Alex Austin
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed from practice squad: OL Jack Driscoll
- Placed on IR: TE Darnell Washington (story)
Washington Commanders
- Placed on IR: C Tyler Biadasz
- Signed from practice squad: OL Julian Good-Jones
Sewell suffered a torn Achilles in Sunday night’s loss to the 49ers, ending his 2025 season and starting a length rehab process for the third-year linebacker.
Teller aggravated a calf injury on Sunday against the Steelers. He will miss the Browns’ last game of the season and is set to hit free agency this offseason. After seven years in Cleveland, Teller may need to find a new home this offseason.
Washington underwent surgery on his broken arm on Tuesday, per The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo. The third-year tight end will not be able to return in the playoffs if the Steelers qualify.
Packers Claim CB Trevon Diggs
One day after the Cowboys cut him, cornerback Trevon Diggs will land with a playoff team. The Packers have claimed Diggs off waivers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.
In claiming Diggs, the Packers will commit to paying his $472K game check for Week 18. He’ll earn another $58,823 if he’s active against the Vikings this Sunday, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. Beyond that, there’s no guaranteed money left on Diggs’ contract. However, he remains under team control through 2028 on the five-year, $97MM extension he signed with Dallas in July 2023.
Diggs, a 2020 second-round pick from Alabama, scored his enormous payday after a scintillating start to his career. He made the Pro Bowl twice in his first three years, a stretch in which he intercepted 17 passes. He finished with a jaw-dropping 11 picks in 2021, the most in a season since former Cowboy Everson Walls came down with 11 in 1981, en route to first-team All-Pro honors.
Diggs’ 11-INT showing remains his only 17-game season to date. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder has dealt with a laundry list of injuries since then. An ACL tear limited Diggs to two games in 2023. He missed six more games in 2024 as a result of a calf tear and another knee surgery. It was more of the same in Diggs’ last hurrah with the Cowboys, who placed him on IR with lingering knee problems and a concussion on Oct. 25. He played in just eight of Dallas’ 16 games this year before the team cut him.
The Cowboys opened Diggs’ 21-day practice window on Nov. 30, but they didn’t activate him until Dec. 20. It came as a surprise after Diggs indicated he was healthy enough to play the previous week. He said he was “upset“ the Cowboys didn’t activate him in Week 15. It wasn’t the first disagreement between Diggs and first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
The decision to move on from Diggs reportedly came on the heels of Schottenheimer denying the Maryland-born defender’s request to remain in Washington after the Cowboys’ Christmas Day win over the Commanders. Diggs, who wanted to stay with his family, ignored Schottenheimer’s orders and skipped the team’s flight back to Dallas. That may have sealed his fate with the Cowboys.
While Diggs and Schottenheimer clashed, a massive decline in the corner’s effectiveness was likely the main reason Dallas parted with him. The 27-year-old has gone without an interception this season, and Pro Football Focus ranks his performance 80th among 113 qualifiers at his position. Worse yet, according to Pro-Football-Reference, Diggs has yielded a 77.3% completion rate to the nearest receiver and a 157.2 passer rating over a sample of 22 targets. A perfect rating checks in at 158.3.
Although Diggs has struggled immensely this year, the Packers aren’t risking much in claiming him. The Packers will be able to move on after the season if they want, and they desperately need healthy cornerbacks right now.
Locked into the seventh seed in the NFC with one game left, the Packers are dangerously thin at corner behind Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine. Green Bay placed Kamal Hadden on IR on Tuesday and did the same with Nate Hobbs on Wednesday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Hobbs, who has played in 11 games and started five this year, will miss at least four contests with a knee injury.
Diggs, Shemar Bartholomew and Jaylin Simpson will provide the Packers a few more game-ready options at the position. The Packers signed Bartholomew and Simpson from their practice squad to their active roster on Tuesday.
Packers To Sign QB Desmond Ridder; Latest On Jordan Love, Malik Willis
The Packers do not have anything at stake in Week 18. Green Bay is locked into the NFC’s seventh seed, but the team does need healthy options at the quarterback spot for at least one game. 
As a result, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Desmond Ridder is being signed. This is a practice squad agreement, he adds. When speaking to the media on Wednesday, head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Ridder will be joining Green Bay for the time being.
A third-round pick of the Falcons in 2022, Ridder made four starts as a rookie and another 13 the following season. He was with the Raiders last year, making one start and six appearances. Since then, Ridder has been in the Bengals’ and Vikings’ organization but he has yet to see any regular season action in 2025. The 26-year-old could be used as a gameday elevation to dress this week depending on the status of Green Bay’s other passers.
Jordan Love has been out of the fold since suffering a concussion against the Bears in Week 16. He participated in practice before being ruled out for Green Bay’s loss this past Saturday. That paved the way for backup Malik Willis to get the nod, but late in the game he reinjured his throwing shoulder. Third-stringer Clayton Tune needed to enter the contest with Willis unavailable.
LaFleur said (via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky) Love remains in concussion protocol at this time. He will once again be able to practice today, however. Progressing through the final stages of the protocol would allow for Love to suit up against the Vikings on Sunday. Willis, meanwhile, will be a limited practice participant.
Sitting at 9-6-1 on the year, Green Bay cannot secure top spot in the NFC North, nor can the team move up in the wild-card standings. That could provide ample reason for the Packers to sit several starters, although LaFleur noted it would be far from ideal for Love to enter the postseason coming off a lengthy spell out of game action. It remains to be seen if he will be available to play at least in a limited capacity on Sunday. Likewise, the status of Willis – a pending free agent who has impressed during his Green Bay opportunities – will be something to monitor over the coming days.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/25
Today’s minor moves:
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on IR: CB Kamal Hadden, DL Jordon Riley (story)
- Signed from practice squad: CB Shemar Bartholomew, CB Jaylin Simpson
- Waived: DL Quinton Bohanna
With Kamal Hadden landing on IR and Nate Hobbs exiting Saturday’s loss, the Packers have brought in some extra depth at cornerback, signing both Shemar Bartholomew and Jaylin Simpson to the active roster. Bartholomew is the only addition with NFL experience, as the former UDFA got into five games with the Panthers in 2024.
Despite DL Jordon Riley landing on IR, the Packers also cut Quinton Bohanna today. The defensive tackle was claimed off waivers from the Seahawks earlier this month. He made his lone appearance for the organization this past weekend. The move will leave Karl Brooks and Warren Brinson as the team’s lone options at DT for the moment.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/30/25
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: TE Messiah Swinson
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Mecole Hardman
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Ross Dwelley
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OL Calvin Throckmorton
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Damien Martinez
Houston Texans
- Signed: DE Solomon Byrd
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Wyett Ekeler
- Released: OL Zachary Thomas
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Kam Arnold, DT Marcus Harris
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: S Brandon Hill
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DT Simeon Barrow Jr.
New England Patriots
- Signed: TE Marshall Lang
- Released: RB Jashaun Corbin
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Myles Purchase
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LS Charley Hughlett
- Released: DE Titus Leo
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Josh Williams
- Released: RB Michael Wiley
Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order
Aside from tonight’s Rams-Falcons game, Week 17 is in the books. Most of the playoff field has been set in both conferences, but there is still plenty to be determined regarding the first-round draft order.
By virtue of their loss on Sunday, the Raiders are now in pole position to secure the No. 1 pick. Vegas sits at 2-14 on the year, with four teams sporting a record of 3-13. Only one of those, however – the Giants – is still in contention to land the top selection. Vegas will play against Kansas City in Week 18, while New York’s season will end against Dallas.
Fernando Mendoza looms as the projected top quarterback option in the 2026 class, with the futures of Dante Moore and Ty Simpson still uncertain. Demand usually outweighs supply at the top of the draft when it comes to signal-callers, and scarcity at the position could very well come into play in April. Mendoza may find himself on the radar of teams not immediately in need of a quarterback depending on how things play out.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.
Here is an updated look at the first-round order:
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-14)
- New York Giants (3-13)
- New York Jets (3-13)
- Tennessee Titans (3-13)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-13)
- Cleveland Browns (4-12)
- Washington Commanders (4-12)
- New Orleans Saints (6-10)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-10)
- Cincinnati Bengals (6-10)
- Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
- Miami Dolphins (7-9)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)
- Dallas Cowboys (7-8-1)
- Detroit Lions (8-8)
- Baltimore Ravens (8-8)
- Minnesota Vikings (8-8)
- New York Jets (via Colts)
- Carolina Panthers (8-8)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
- Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-5)
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
- Buffalo Bills (11-5)
- Chicago Bears (11-5)
- Houston Texans (11-5)
- Los Angeles Rams (11-4)
- Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
- San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
- New England Patriots (13-3)
- Denver Broncos (13-3)
- Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
Packers OLB Micah Parsons Undergoes ACL Surgery
10:50pm: The surgery was a success. In a post on X, Parsons said it “went amazing.”
4:45pm: The Packers will take part in the NFC’s postseason, but they will do so without Micah Parsons. The blockbuster trade acquisition is sidelined with an ACL tear, and his lengthy recovery process is just beginning. 
Parsons posted on Instagram earlier today that he was set to undergo surgery (h/t Rob Demovsky). Once the procedure is complete, the All-Pro edge rusher will turn his attention to rehabbing. Parsons went down in Week 15, ending his debut Green Bay campaign in the process.
As Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes (video link), Parsons suffered a clean tear. That offers little in the way of consolation for the Packers as they prepare for the playoffs while riding what is now a three-game losing streak, but it should streamline his recovery process. Per Rapoport, a nine-month timeline is in place for Parsons to return to full health.
The 26-year-old recently earned the fifth straight Pro Bowl nod of his career based on his production with his new team. Parsons collected 12.5 sacks, 26 quarterback hits and a career-high 48 pressures in 14 games prior to the injury. Green Bay’s pass rush in particular and defense in general has struggled without Parsons in the fold, and improving in time for the wild-card round will be key. The Packers are locked into the No. 7 seed, meaning they will begin the postseason on the road against either the Bears or the Eagles.
Parsons, meanwhile, will look to return to full strength in time for training camp next summer. The Penn State product is under contract through 2029 thanks to the record-breaking extension he signed upon arrival in Green Bay. Expectations will be high in his case for continued production over the life of that contract, but before that becomes possible a successful recovery will be required.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/25
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: WR Chris Blair, EDGE Khalid Kareem
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers (from Bears): DT Jonathan Ford
Houston Texans
- Activated from IR: WR Justin Watson
- Waived: DE Solomon Byrd
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: OL AJ Arcuri, S Tanner Ingle
- Activated from IR: CB Roger McCreary
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed from practice squad: CB Zemaiah Vaughn
- Placed on IR: DL Elijah Williams
New England Patriots
- Waived: CB Miles Battle, OL Brenden Jaimes
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: LS Charley Hughlett
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: RB Josh Williams
The Packers added a former Bear ahead of a potential playoff matchup with the division rival. Jonathan Ford actually started his NFL career in Green Bay, although the seventh-round pick never got into a game with the Packers. He appeared in 12 games with Chicago between 2024 and 2025, collecting 13 tackles while seeing time in about a quarter of his team’s defensive snaps.
Packers DL Jordon Riley, CB Kamal Hadden Out For Season
Last night’s loss ensured the Packers will wind up as the seventh seed in the NFC. Their final regular season contest could see a number of players rested as a result, but at least two will not be able to return in 2025. 
Defensive lineman Jordon Riley was carted off the field Saturday with an Achilles injury. Cornerback Kamal Hadden later suffered an ankle injury and also needed to be taken off the field via a cart. Neither player returned to the loss against the Ravens.
When speaking to the media today, head coach Matt LaFleur said (via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky) both Riley and Hadden are out for the rest of the year. Green Bay will be without a pair of depth contributors in the postseason as a result. Hadden is a pending exclusive rights restricted free agent, whereas Riley is under contract through 2026.
Riley spent the past two years with the Giants, but he was among the team’s final roster cuts. The 27-year-old was retained via the practice squad and remained there until early this month. Riley was signed to the Packers’ active roster to provide a rotational presence along the defensive front, and he wound up playing 53 snaps across four games with his new team. His attention will now turn to a lengthy rehab process presuming his injury proved to be an Achilles tear, though.
Like Riley, Hadden entered the league as a Day 3 draft pick. A Chiefs selection in 2024, each of his 12 regular season appearances have come as a member of the Packers. Hadden played sparingly this year on defense as part of Green Bay’s renovated secondary, but he chipped in on special teams with a snap share of 26% in that regard. He too will miss Week 18 as well as the Packers’ upcoming playoff game(s), however, and Hadden will look to heal in time for the spring.

