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2025 Injured Reserve Return Tracker

October 4th, 2025 at 9:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

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 are 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 at that point.

Here is how the 32 teams’ activation puzzles look for Week 8:

Arizona Cardinals

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Atlanta Falcons

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Baltimore Ravens

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 6

Buffalo Bills

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 6

Carolina Panthers

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Chicago Bears

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Cincinnati Bengals

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Cleveland Browns

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 7

Dallas Cowboys

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Denver Broncos

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Detroit Lions

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 8

Green Bay Packers

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Houston Texans

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 7

Indianapolis Colts

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Activations remaining: 7

Jacksonville Jaguars

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 7

Kansas City Chiefs

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 6

Las Vegas Raiders

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 7

Los Angeles Chargers

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

Los Angeles Rams

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 8

Miami Dolphins

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Minnesota Vikings

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

New England Patriots

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 7

New Orleans Saints

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

  • T Barry Wesley

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

New York Giants

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

New York Jets

Designated for Return:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 7

Philadelphia Eagles

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

Pittsburgh Steelers

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

San Francisco 49ers

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Seattle Seahawks

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 8

Tennessee Titans

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Washington Commanders

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 7

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/4/25

October 4th, 2025 at 6:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Week 5’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Huntley will be on hand to back up backup quarterback Cooper Rush in Baltimore tomorrow against the Texans. Okoye is called up for the second week in a row as injuries continue to hamper the Ravens’ defensive line, as well.

With some continuing injuries causing some concern in the secondary, the Browns will elevate Avery and Jones for the second straight week. Jones is being elevated for the third time this season, meaning that if Cleveland wants to see him in another game this year, the team will need to sign him to the active roster. The same is true for Logue in Buffalo, Hewitt with the Giants, Clark with the Jets, and Pili in Seattle.

Arnette’s promotion means Week 5 will mark his first regular season action in the NFL since the end of his Raiders tenure in 2021. The former first-round pick revived his career in part through his performances in the UFL this spring, something which created interest from multiple teams in free agency. Arnette, 29, will look to use tomorrow’s contest in a bid to land a permanent role in Houston.

This is the second time the Jets have parted ways with a kick returner following a game in which they had a costly fumble. Williams follows in footsteps of Xavier Gipson, who was waived following a similar mistake in the team’s season opener. There appears to be a pretty short leash for young returners in New York at the moment.

Texans Place Folorunso Fatukasi On IR

October 4th, 2025 at 1:31pm CST by Connor Byrne

The Texans will go at least the next four games without defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi. The team placed Fatukasi on injured reserve, opening up the spot the team used to sign offensive tackle Trent Brown to its 53-man roster yesterday, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.

Fatukasi, who’s dealing with a shoulder injury, will not be eligible to rejoin the Texans’ defense until a Week 10 matchup with the Jaguars. The 30-year-old has played just under 39% of defensive snaps this season and tallied eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a pair of quarterback hits. Four weeks into the season, Pro Football Focus ranks Fatukasi’s performance 134th among 179 qualifiers at his position.

Along with Fatukasi, the Texans have already ruled out fellow defensive lineman Denico Autry (knee) for a pivotal Week 5 game against the Baltimore Ravens. Both teams have gotten off to surprisingly slow 1-3 starts this year. Although Autry’s practice window opened this week, the veteran defensive lineman remains on Houston’s reserve/PUP list.

Houston, which will avoid the injured Lamar Jackson and instead face backup quarterback Cooper Rush on Sunday, will continue to rely on interior D-linemen Sheldon Rankins and Tim Settle in prominent roles. Mario Edwards and Tommy Togiai are also in the mix.

Texans Sign T Trent Brown To Active Roster

October 3rd, 2025 at 4:07pm CST by Adam La Rose

One of the Texans’ veteran offensive tackles (Cam Robinson) is no longer with the team. Another (Trent Brown) is now in position to potentially see game action, however.

Brown has been signed from Houston’s practice squad to the team’s active roster, per agent Drew Rosenhaus (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). The 32-year-old has yet to play in the regular season this year. Based on today’s news, though, that could change as early as Week 5.

In March, the Texans signed Brown as one of several moves altering their offensive line. The unit’s play was a major sore spot in 2024, but the early portion of this season has not seen the desired improvement. Robinson was not handling starting duties during his brief Houston tenure, something which informed his trade from the Texans to the Browns earlier this week.

Second-round rookie Aireontae Ersery has handled first-team duties at the left tackle spot so far. Houston’s second-round selection last year – Blake Fisher – saw notable time at right tackle last season but in 2025 he has played only nine offensive snaps. Instead, Tytus Howard worked at the RT spot for the first three games (before shifting to guard in Week 4). Brown’s promotion will give the Texans another option up front.

Over the course of his 10-year career, Brown has amassed 96 starts while seeing time at both tackle spots. The 32-year-old was released during roster cuts in August, but he immediately signed to Houston’s practice squad. After one month without seeing game time, Brown now finds himself in the fold as the 1-3 Texans aim to rebound from a poor start to the campaign.

Texans’ Joe Mixon Uncertain To Play In 2025

September 30th, 2025 at 9:40pm CST by Ben Levine

The Texans offense seemed to find its footing against the lowly Titans in Week 4. While the unit appears to be trending upwards, they’ll still have to move forward without an offensive focal point for the foreseeable future.

While speaking with reporters, coach DeMeco Ryans said that star running back Joe Mixon is not ready to return (per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston). The veteran continues to sit on the reserve/NFI list with a foot/ankle injury, although he’s now eligible to be activated.

Sources seemed to paint a bleaker picture. According to Wilson, it will be “much longer” for a potential Mixon return, and there’s some skepticism that the running back will even be able to play this season. This matches a report from late August that indicated that Mixon may ultimately have to sit out the entire 2025 campaign.

Mixon dealt with a lingering foot/ankle issue during the 2024 campaign that forced him to miss three games. He aggravated the issue while training this offseason. Considering the player’s age and the installation of Nick Caley‘s new offense, the Texans have continually made it clear that they’d slow play Mixon’s rehab. Now, it’s sounding like the team may not have a choice but to rely on their other RBs in 2025.

Mixon continued his high-level play after getting dealt from the Bengals to the Texans during the 2024 offseason. The two-time Pro Bowler finished the campaign with 1,325 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns. Two years remain on Mixon’s contract, but none of his $8MM base salary for 2026 is guaranteed. If the player is unable to return in 2025, there’s a chance the team bails on the veteran this offseason.

Veteran Nick Chubb has led the depth chart through the first four weeks of the season, but the offseason acquisition has only managed to compile 188 yards on 47 carries. Rookie fourth-round pick Woody Marks had a breakout showing this past weekend, collecting 119 yards from scrimmage and a pair of scores. That game represented the first time this season that Marks has outsnapped Chubb, and there’s a chance the rookie may be eyeing an even larger role as the season progresses.

NFL Minor Transactions: 9/30/25

September 30th, 2025 at 6:41pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Browns Acquire Cam Robinson From Texans

September 29th, 2025 at 11:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

In search of help at the left tackle spot, the Browns are making a move aimed at addressing the position. Cam Robinson is heading to Cleveland.

The Browns and Texans have worked out a Robinson trade involving a late-round pick swap, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Sixth- and seventh-round selections in 2027 are being swapped, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network add. The deal is now official, with Houston receiving the sixth-round pick in exchange for Robinson and the seventh-rounder.

The 29-year-old spent eight-plus years handling blindside duties with the Jaguars. Robinson’s time in Duval County came to an end midway through the 2024 campaign when he was traded to the Vikings. That move allowed him to fill in for an injured Christian Darrisaw through the remainder of the season. As a free agent, Robinson returned to the AFC South by inking a one-year pact with Houston carrying a base value of $12MM.

The majority of that compensation was already paid out as a signing bonus. As a result, the Browns will only take on the prorated remainder of Robinson’s $2MM base salary; $1.25MM in per-game roster bonuses are also present. This agreement will give Cleveland – a team which has struggled at both tackle spots early in the season en route to a 1-3 start – a veteran presence on the blindside. Robinson has 104 regular season appearances (all but two of those being starts) to his name.

Houston underwent a number of changes up front this offseason, one in which Laremy Tunsil was traded away. That appeared to open the door to Robinson handling first-team duties at the left tackle spot, but rookie Aireontae Ersery impressed during training camp. The second-round pick has handled the starting gig as a result, relegating Robinson to backup duties. The Texans looked into a trade during roster cutdowns, but the Alabama product remained in the fold through the first month of the campaign.

Despite Houston’s struggles up front so far, the team has elected to move forward with a trade this time around. Robinson will look to quickly work his way into Cleveland’s lineup. A strong run of play with the Browns will likely not be sufficient for a postseason berth to be possible, but it could help his free agent stock for next spring. With both tackle spots being a question mark for the Browns beyond the current season, Robinson could play his way into an extended stay in Cleveland depending on how the coming months unfold.

Texans Open Practice Windows For DE Denico Autry, S Jaylen Reed

September 29th, 2025 at 11:08pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Texans defensive end Denico Autry and safety Jaylen Reed will both return to practice this week after starting the season on reserve lists, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.

Their 21-day return window will officially open on Tuesday when the Texans hold their first practice of the weeks. Autry and Reed will need to be activated by the end of that period; if not, they will revert to a reserve list for the rest of the season. Returning to practice as soon as they were eligible is a good sign that neither player will be subject to that worse-case scenario.

Autry was placed on the physically unable to perform list at the beginning of training camp as he recovered from a 2024 knee injury that lingered into this season. He played through it in 2024, appearing in 10 games (two starts) after a six-game suspension sidelined him to start the year. The injury affected Autry’s production, which took a significant dip relative to the rest of his career.

Houston’s defensive line has otherwise been healthy to start the season, so Autry can take his time ramping up in practice before officially starting his 12th NFL season.

Reed, a sixth-round pick in April’s draft, sprained his knee in training camp and was placed on injured reserve with a return designation during final roster cuts. The Texans are thin at safety after releasing C.J. Gardner-Johnson, so Reed would offer some depth upon his return. However, the rookie is untested against NFL-caliber competition after missing the preseason and will be unlikely to see the field upon his return outside of special teams work.

AFC South Rumors: Caserio, Callahan, McNair

September 28th, 2025 at 10:11pm CST by Ely Allen

The Texans enjoyed a nice run of success with playoff appearances and wins in each of the past two seasons led by head coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud. Year 3 with the duo has been less than ideal with a 1-3 start making a postseason run a daunting task, but some blame seems to be falling on general manager Nick Caserio, according to ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime.

The biggest weakness of last year’s team was an offensive line that gave up the third-most sacks in the league in 2024. This year’s biggest weakness, per Bien-Aime, is still the offensive line. Aside from right tackle Tytus Howard, the entire starting five across the line is different this year from last. This required Caserio and Co. to sign left tackle Cam Robinson and left guard Laken Tomlinson in free agency, trade for Ed Ingram, and draft Aireontae Ersery in the second round of the draft, while also trading away Laremy Tunsil, whom Caserio extended shortly after his arrival.

The lack of improvement along the line could be the result of several factors, but Bien-Aime suggests that Caserio’s inability to build a better line for his quarterback could have him on the hot seat. Bien-Aime points at another failed offseason move — the trade for (and eventual release) of veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson — as another strike against the third-year exec. The recent evidence does seem to show evidence of some poor personnel decisions, but it will be interesting to see if Caserio continues to receive blame for the team’s lack of growth in Year 3.

Here are a couple other staff rumors from around the AFC South:

  • In the same ESPN article, other contributors were putting another AFC South staffer on the hot seat. Turron Davenport and Seth Walder each made comments concerning the job security of Titans head coach Brian Callahan. There’s no debate that Callahan’s team lacked elite talent in Year 1, but a slew of penalties added on to the team’s struggles to give them the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The undisciplined penalties have continued heavily in Year 2, and just this week, Callahan relinquished play-calling duties in an effort to open up the offense more for his rookie quarterback. Davenport suggests that controlling owner Amy Adams-Strunk has made impulsive decisions in the past — pointing to the departure of former head coach Mike Vrabel, as an example — and suggests further that a loss to Vrabel in Week 7 could mean the end for Callahan’s tenure in Tennessee. Walder agrees that “questions of whether he’s the right coach will only get louder with each successive loss.”
  • Lastly, going back to Houston, Cary McNair, son of the late Texans founder Robert McNair and brother of team owner Cal McNair, is reportedly accusing the NFL and his brother of engineering his “ouster” from the Texans and other McNair family business interests, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports. Cary’s representative, Tony Buzbee, became well-known for representing clients against Deshaun Watson. Buzbee claims that Cary began “asking pointed questions that potentially implicated the NFL and its personnel.” The questions pertained to both the Texans’ and the league’s handling of the Watson scandal and their handling of the sexual assault scandal of Texans minority owner Javier Loya, as well. Cary levies a number of other allegations, asserting that the NFL and his brother pushed him out for challenging their acceptance and tolerance for alleged abhorrent behavior. He’s seeking more than $60MM in direct financial losses.
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