Only one team made a practice squad move on Friday, though more are sure to come on Saturday as others prepare their roster for Sunday’s slate.
Houston Texans
The Texans re-signed Huzzie to their practice squad after waiving him on Thursday.
Here are Thursday’s minor transactions:
Chicago Bears
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Las Vegas Raiders
Miami Dolphins
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Leal, a third-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2022, has failed to live up to his draft stock thus far in the NFL. After only seeing game time in three games this year, he’s been waived to make room for the defensive tackle Pittsburgh signed off of the Chiefs’ practice squad yesterday.
Huzzie, after spending much of his rookie season on the reserve/non-football injury list, is being sent to waivers. Should he clear them, it’s expected that he’ll return to Houston on a practice squad deal.
A pair of Texans defenders are heading to injured reserve. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the team is placing cornerback Jaylin Smith and defensive end Darrell Taylor on IR.
Smith will miss at least the next four games while he nurses an undisclosed injury. The rookie third-round pick has played sparingly in 2025, getting into 31 defensive snaps and 78 special teams snaps in four games. The USC product was serving as a back-of-the-depth-chart boundary corner for Houston, and journeyman Tremon Smith will likely soak up any remaining backup snaps at the position.
Taylor has also barely seen the field during his first season with the franchise. The defensive lineman has gotten into four games, and he’s mostly split his 64 snaps between defense and special teams. The former second-round pick compiled 21.5 sacks in three seasons with Seattle before spending the 2024 campaign in Chicago. An ankle issue will sideline him through November.
Elsewhere in Houston, the team made some adjustments to their practice squad. According to Wilson, the team added kicker Matthew Wright and released tight end Dalton Keene.
Per Wilson, Texans starting kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn is dealing with a lower body injury that will put his status for Week 10 in doubt. Jonathan M Alexander of the Houston Chronicle is a bit more definitive with his report, noting that Fairbairn isn’t expected to play this weekend. The veteran is coming off a Week 9 performance where he connected on five of his six field goal attempts.
Wright is apparently the team’s solution to temporarily fill that spot. The Texans represent the veteran’s 11th NFL team, although he’s mostly been limited to cameos in his previous spots. In total, Wright has appeared in 31 career games, connecting on 87.5 percent of his field goal tries (56 for 64) and 95.6 percent of his XP attempts (43 for 45).
A former Patriots draft pick, Keene has spent parts of the past three seasons in Houston. He’s been limited to a single game during his Texans tenure.
Suffering a concussion during the Texans’ Week 9 loss to the Broncos, C.J. Stroud will not make an immediate return. DeMeco Ryans confirmed (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson) his quarterback will miss Week 10.
Ryans ruling Stroud out at the start of his team’s practice week is certainly notable, as concussion protocol steps are in place to make a potential return possible. But the NFL has beefed up its standards for returning from head injuries. The Jaguars will face Davis Mills on Sunday.
A Kris Abrams-Draine hit on Stroud, initially ruled a penalty before the flag was picked up, led to the third-year quarterback’s concussion. The Texans dropped an 18-15 result, with neither quarterback able to punch in a touchdown against Denver’s formidable defense. Mills struggled particularly on third downs, with the Texans just 3-for-17 in that area. They missed on 14 of their final 15 third-down tries, as Mills had not been called upon to make a start for a while in Houston.
The Texans turned to then-backup Case Keenum during a two-game Stroud injury absence — due to a concussion — but saw the veteran passer sidelined throughout the 2024 season because of injury. Stroud, though, started all 17 games last season and took the field in both Houston postseason contests. Keenum joined the Bears in free agency this offseason, leaving Mills as the solo Texans backup. The team extended the former third-round pick in September.
During the Deshaun Watson healthy-scratch season, Mills was the Texans’ primary starter. That remained the case after the team dealt Watson to Cleveland for a historic bounty in 2022. Mills has made 26 career starts, going 5-19-1 (albeit with lower-end rosters in those years). He will receive at least one more this season, thanks to Stroud’s second documented concussion as a pro.
Mills was 17 of 30 for 156 yards against the Broncos, averaging just 4.6 per pass. Extension-eligible in January 2026, Stroud has seen his stock dip — as O-line and wide receiver issues have cropped up during the past two seasons — since his Offensive Rookie of the Year season. But Mills’ insufficient Week 9 relief effort certainly hindered Houston’s effort in a winnable game. At 3-5, the Texans suddenly need their former starter to come up with a win over the Jags. Stroud will move through the protocol this week, but his next chance to play will come against the Titans in Week 11. Houston then has a short-week matchup against Buffalo.
The modern NFL features four clear trade windows. While the Cowboys and Steelers’ George Pickens swap showed moves can be made at other points on the NFL calendar, early March, the draft, the late-August 53-man roster-setting date and the November deadline reside as the primary points trades occur around the league. On that note, it is a good time to check in on what has transpired on the trade market ahead of today’s deadline.
Excluding pick-for-pick trades, here are the moves NFL teams have made thus far in 2025:
49ers chose running back Jordan James at 147
Rams traded pick to Vikings, moving up to No. 172 for linebacker Chris Paul Jr.
Seahawks chose quarterback Jalen Milroe at 92
Seahawks used No. 52 to trade up (via the Titans) 17 spots for safety Nick Emmanwori, drafted running back Damien Martinez at 223; Steelers selected quarterback Will Howard at 185
Texans added wide receiver Jaylin Noel at 79, sent 236 to Jaguars in Day 2 trade; Commanders chose wideout Jaylin Lane at No. 128
Eagles used No. 164 to climb one spot (via Chiefs) in first round for linebacker Jihaad Campbell
Bills took Ohio State cornerback Jordan Hancock at 170; Cowboys chose guard Ajani Cornelius at No. 204
Titans drafted running back Kalel Mullings at No. 188; Cowboys chose running back Phil Mafah at 239
Vikings packaged No. 187 in trade-down move (via Texans); 49ers drafted safety Marques Sigle at 160
Patriots traded down from No. 171 (via Lions) to draft kicker Andres Borregales; Cowboys chose defensive tackle Jay Toia at 217
Seahawks selected defensive lineman Rylie Mills at No. 142; Vikings traded No. 172 to Rams
Pick could upgrade to fourth-rounder if performance-based conditions are met
2026 fifth-round pick (from Bryce Huff trade) could upgrade to fourth-rounder, which would be sent to Jacksonville if 49ers DE meets those conditions
Higher of Cowboys’ two 2027 firsts will go to Jets in Williams trade
With lots of roster movement surrounding the trade deadline, practice squads needed rearranging, as well. Here are today’s practice squad updates:
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
The Texans are bringing Wright on as an emergency option as regular kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn works through an injury. Wright has plenty of experience in this role as this will be his fourth team this year alone.
The Texans signed linebacker and special teams ace Jake Hansen to a one-year contract extension, per a team announcement.
The deal will keep Hansen in Houston through the 2026 season for a maximum value of $3MM, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.
Hansen, 27, signed with the Texans as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois in 2022. He made the 53-man roster as a rookie and appeared in 11 games with 205 snaps on defense and 148 on special teams. During the subsequent offseason, Houston brought in DeMeco Ryans as the team’s new coach, and Hansen could not carve out a role in his system.
He has only played 183 snaps on defense in the last three years, but his role on special teams has expanded. He contributes to every unit except the Texans’ kicking team, and this season, his 89.6 special teams grade and eight special teams tackles are top-10 marks in the league, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Hansen earned a total of $2.57MM in his first three seasons and re-signed with the Texans for $1.7MM this offseason, per OverTheCap. He will earn another pay bump on his new deal, and Houston will keep one of their core special teams contributors around for another year.
Special teams work isn’t the most glamorous, but it is a reliable way to stick around in the NFL. As long as Hansen stays healthy, he will likely have a job in Houston, and may be prized by other special teams-focused teams in the league.
The Texans will need to play at least the remainder of Week 9 without their starting quarterback. C.J. Stroud has been ruled out of today’s game due to a concussion. 
After being tackled by Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, Stroud’s head hit the turf. He remained down on the field for several minutes before walking off the field under his own power. Stroud spent time in the medical tent before being taken to the locker room for further evaluation.
The 24-year-old has since been ruled out for the remainder of the contest. As a result, backup QB Davis Mills will be tasked with leading the offense the rest of the way. At the time the Texans announced the update on Stroud, they were leading Denver 12-7.
The team’s elite defense will be leaned on to maintain its current advantage. Houston entered Sunday ranked first in the NFL in both points and yards allowed, and another strong showing would help those statistics and give the Texans an opportunity to improve to 4-4 on the year. Even if that takes place, of course, Stroud’s recovery timeline will be a major storyline moving forward.
The third-year passer has only missed two games in his career. During his rookie campaign, though, Stroud suffered a concussion. This latest injury could lead to an absence spanning at least Week 10, since players very rarely clear concussion protocol in time to suit up one week after suffering one. Mills may be counted on beyond the remainder of today’s game as a result.
Stroud has not managed to duplicate the success of his Offensive Rookie of the Year-winning campaign in 2022. He nevertheless helped lead Houston to the divisional round of the postseason again last year. In spite of the Texans’ early struggles during the current campaign, a playoff berth could certainly still be in store. Much of the team’s outlook moving forward will depend on Stroud’s health, however. His situation will thus be worth watching closely over the coming days.
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves around the NFL:
Dallas Cowboys
Houston Texans
New England Patriots
New York Giants
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Winfrey, Johnson and Payton have each started their 21-day activation periods. Bringing them back into the fold will use up one of their respective teams’ eight IR activations. By contrast, Trice and Haynes were given the designated for return label during roster cuts in August. As a result, their activations have already been accounted for.
Here are today’s taxi squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
Denver Broncos
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Washington Commanders