Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/25
Saturday’s minor moves around the league:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Kelly Akharaiyi
- Placed on reserve/retired list: WR David White
Carolina Panthers
- Reverted to IR: CB M.J. Devonshire
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Garnett Hollis Jr.
Houston Texans
- Activated from active/PUP list: C Eli Cox, LB K.C. Ossai, RB J.J. Taylor
Texans RB Joe Mixon Expected To Miss Multiple Weeks Of Camp
Three days ago, the Texans placed running back Joe Mixon on the active/non-football injury list. At the time, reports claimed that the “medical outlook” was positive for Mixon and that the team would likely ease him into training camp, gradually increasing his activity before shutting him down for his eventual regular season debut. According to a report this afternoon from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, though, Mixon is expected to be out for “an extended period of time with a frustrating foot injury.” 
Early last season, Mixon missed three games with a foot/ankle injury. He hadn’t participated in most of the preseason because of a quadriceps issue, yet he still took off for 159 yards and a touchdown in the team’s season opener. After the Week 2 injury derailed him a bit, he still came back from injury and rattled off four straight 100-yard rushing performances en route to a Pro Bowl bid. His effectiveness took a dip near the end of the season, but he was right back at it in the postseason, putting up 194 rushing yards and two touchdowns in two postseason matchups.
Jane Slater of 105.3 The FAN posted that Mixon reportedly “injured his right foot/ankle twice last year” and that today’s report comes after a third injury to it. KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson clarifies that the third injury occurred in the offseason when Mixon was working out on his own — hence the NFI placement — and that there have been no setbacks. He reports that Mixon has made progress since the injury, regained mobility, and that his medical outlook and goal to be ready for a Week 1 contest with the Rams remain unchanged.
Based on his 2024 season, the injury appears to be nagging and consistent but something he can potentially play through. If Wilson’s report is accurate, Houston will likely be careful with its lead back, easing him into drills and practices before potentially holding him out of another preseason. Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports adds that, despite Mixon’s absence from practice, the Texans are being similarly “judicious” with the usage of free agent addition Nick Chubb.
Texans’ Tank Dell Expected To Miss Season
Texans wide receiver Tank Dell is likely to miss the entire 2025 season as he continues his recovery from last year’s brutal knee injury, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.
Dell dislocated his knee and tore his ACL, MCL, and LCL in a Week 16 loss to the Chiefs. With such a severe injury, Houston’s focus is on Dell’s health and long-term career outlook. The team wants him to get healthy rather than rushing back to play this year.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said (via Wilson) that Dell is “crushing the rehab,” but declined to offer a specific timeline. His comments hinted that the team is not counting on Dell to return this season.
Injuries were always the biggest concern surrounding Dell. His 5-foot-7, 165-pound frame was already undersized by college standards; in the NFL, it’s minuscule. Sitting out this season will set up a major contract year in 2026. Dell will need to prove that he is back at full health and can remain there for an entire season while maintaining his production.
Dell was placed on the active/PUP list, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, along with teammates Trent Brown and Jimmie Ward.
Brown has been medically cleared to return to the field after missing most of the 2024 season due to a torn patellar tendon. Though he has recovered from surgery, the Texans are still expected to ease him into action in training camp, per Wilson.
Ward, however, is not medically cleared as he recovers from offseason foot surgery. He was sidelined throughout the spring, but has recently “resumed running and is making good progress,” according to Wilson. He is also facing a third-degree felony charge for domestic violence with an August 13 court date. The NFL is monitoring the case to prepare for potential discipline, though the league typically waits until legal matters have concluded before issuing a punishment.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/25
With several training camps underway, here are today’s minor NFL transactions:
Baltimore Ravend
- Placed on active/NFI list: LB Jake Hummel
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on active/NFI list: WR Laviska Shenault
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Tre Swilling
- Waived: QB Ethan Garbers
Chicago Bears
- Released: S Tarvarius Moore
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed off waivers (from Eagles): DE K.J. Henry
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from active/PUP list: CB Micah Robinson, LB Quay Walker
Houston Texans
- Placed on active/PUP list: DE Denico Autry, DE Derek Barnett, C Eli Cox, DT Foley Fatukasi, DT Kurt Hinish, LB K.C. Ossai, RB Dameon Pierce, RB J.J. Taylor
- Placed on active/NFI list: CB Alijah Huzzie, RB Joe Mixon
- Waived: CB Keydrain Calligan
Los Angeles Chargers
- Reverted to reserve/PUP list: T Savion Washington
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on active/PUP list: WR Tru Edwards, TE Mark Redman
New England Patriots
- Activated from active/PUP list: LB Jahlani Tavai
- Activated from active/NFI list: CB Carlton Davis, WR Jeremiah Webb
New York Giants
- Reverted to reserve/PUP list: S Anthony Johnson
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Samuel Jackson
- Activated from active/NFI list: LB Aaron Smith
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Joe Evans
- Placed on active/PUP list: LB Nakobe Dean
- Waived (with injury designation): OL Marcus Tate
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on active/NFI list: DT Johnathan Hankins
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Timmy Horne, RB Jermar Jefferson
- Place on IR: QB Will Levis (story)
- Placed on reserve/retired list: OLB Lorenzo Carter (story)
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR Tay Martin
- Placed on active/PUP list: G Sam Cosmi (story)
- Placed on reserve/did not report list: WR Terry McLaurin (story)
Houston fans may be discouraged to see a few big names on injured lists, but all is not lost. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that Mixon’s “medical outlook is positive” as the team plans to gradually increase his activity throughout camp. Likewise, Autry is expected to ease his way back into camp workouts, as well. Pierce, on the other hand, is expected to be ready to come off the list at the start of camp.
Per ESPN’s John Keim, Cosmi likely won’t see much time on the field in camp, but he appears to be hitting all the mile markers en route to being healthy for the start of the regular season. With McLaurin officially beginning his holdout yesterday, the team has made the corresponding roster move. McLaurin will rack up fines of $50K per each day missed, but if the team can come to terms on an extension, they can make sure those fines are nullified.
Saints’ Tyrann Mathieu Announces Retirement
July 23: The Saints will get some minor cap savings from Mathieu’s retirement, per NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett. He agreed to a revised contract earlier this offseason with a $2.47MM signing bonus and a fully guaranteed $1.53MM salary. The latter will come off this year’s cap, while the former will be taken off of Mathieu’s 2026 dead money from his last contract.
July 22: Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu announced his retirement on social media (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport), ending the Honey Badger’s sterling 12-year career.
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said that the team was informed of Mathieu’s decision in advance, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, but it still came as somewhat of a surprise. It also leaves the team without a starting safety with six weeks left until Week 1. Mathieu started every Saints game for the last three years.
[RELATED: Saints To Sign S Julian Blackmon]
Loomis indicated that the Saints will explore adding a safety, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, but they may already have Mathieu’s replacement on the roster. It won’t be veteran offseason signing Justin Reid, as he was already expected to start this year. Instead, 2023 fifth-rounder Jordan Howden jumps out as the most likely candidate.
Though he has only logged 11 career starts, Howden played just under 50% of the Saints’ defensive snaps over the last two years, primarily as a free safety. That experience should put him in a strong position to start opposite Reid, though veterans J.T. Gray and Terrell Burgess will also be in the mix. A number of free agents safeties are also available, including former Saint Marcus Maye.
The Saints also drafted Virginia safety Jonas Sanker in the third round, a sign that they believe he can grow into an NFL starter. He will likely have a chance to compete for the starting job, but rookie safeties – even ones drafted on Day 2 – are rarely able to catch up to NFL speed and start right away.
Mathieu, meanwhile, will be enjoying retirement after 12 years, 180 appearances, 171 starts, and more than 11,000 snaps in the NFL. Despite an excellent college career at LSU, Mathieu fell to the third round in the 2013 draft due to size concerns. The Cardinals snagged him with the 69th overall pick, and he went on to finish fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Working regularly in the slot for the Cardinals in 2015, Mathieu earned a first-team All-Pro nod upon helping the team to a franchise-most 13 wins — and a run to the NFC championship game. The Cardinals gave Mathieu a five-year, $62.5MM extension in 2016; at the time, that deal made him the NFL’s highest-paid safety. The Cards cut bait on the deal two years in, as the safety market cratered in 2018. After a one-off in Houston, Mathieu made his way to Kansas City and sparked a midcareer turnaround.
Hours after Washington gave Landon Collins a $14MM-per-year deal to reignite the safety market, Kansas City matched it — as the team loaded up around Patrick Mahomes‘ rookie contract. Mathieu played an instrumental role in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV-winning season, justifying the team’s big-ticket payment. In 2020, Mathieu intercepted a career-high six passes and delivered his second straight first-team All-Pro season.
Despite Mathieu remaining a quality starter in 2021, the Chiefs let him walk as a 2022 free agent. They brought in Justin Reid as a cheaper alternative, redirecting Mathieu to the Saints (on a three-year, $27MM pact). New Orleans adjusted Mathieu’s deal twice, the second such change bringing a pay cut. Reid joined the Saints this offseason, but rather than finally align as a Mathieu teammate, the former Texans draftee will end up replacing him for a third time.
The LSU standout finishes his career with 36 interceptions, 11 sacks and seven forced fumbles. His work with the Cardinals and Chiefs spearheaded an All-Decade honor for the 2010s. Mathieu retires just shy of $100MM in career earnings, per OverTheCap, though that may change depending on how the Saints financially handle his retirement.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/25
With training camps kicking off around the NFL, teams continue to make adjustments to their rosters. Here are today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: TE Matt Sokol, WR David White
- Waived: WR Kelly Akharaiyi, P Jake Camarda
- Placed on active/PUP: OT Spencer Brown, C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger
- Placed on active/NFI: TE Dawson Knox
- Activated from active/PUP: DE Landon Jackson
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Tyler Mabry
- Released/failed physical: LB Josey Jewell (story)
- Placed on active/NFI: DT Bobby Brown
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: DT Dante Barnett
- Placed on active/NFI: RB Zack Moss
Cleveland Browns
- Waived (with injury designation): WR Jaelen Gill
- Placed on active/PUP: DT Mike Hall Jr., QB Deshaun Watson
- Placed on active/NFI: WR David Bell
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: K Mark McNamee
Houston Texans
- Waived: CB Keydrain Calligan
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on active/PUP: DT Maason Smith
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Phillip Dorsett, G Atonio Mafi, WR Seth Williams
- Waived: CB Mello Dotson, WR Zakhair Franklin, WR Key’Shawn Smith, LB Jailin Walker
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: OT Savion Washington
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: OL Daniel Brunskill
- Waived: QB Brett Gabbert
- Placed on active/PUP: OL Liam Eichenberg, TE Darren Waller
- Placed on active/NFI: S Ifeatu Melifonwu
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on active/PUP: TE Taysom Hill, TE Foster Moreau
- Placed on reserve/retired: TE Dallin Holker, S Tyrann Mathieu (story)
New York Giants
- Signed: S K’Von Wallace
- Waived/failed physical: S Anthony Johnson Jr.
- Placed on active/PUP: RB Eric Gray, LT Andrew Thomas
- Placed on active/NFI: LB Victor Dimukeje
New York Jets
- Waived: OT Obinna Eze
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Equanimeous St. Brown
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on active/PUP: OT Silas Dzansi, WR Chris Godwin, G Sua Opeta, QB Michael Pratt, OT Tristan Wirfs
- Placed on active/NFI: LB Anthony Walker
- Placed on active/non-football illness: DL Desmond Watson
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on active/PUP: C Lloyd Cushenberry, CB L’Jarius Sneed
Washington Commanders
- Waived/NFI: RB Michael Wiley
Texans, CB Arthur Maulet Agree To Deal
Arthur Maulet endured an injury-shortened season in 2024, and he had a lengthy wait in free agency as a result. The veteran corner has lined up an opportunity in time for training camp, however.
Maulet told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe on Monday that he has agreed to terms on a one-year Houston pact. He will look to rebound on his latest team after only playing three games last season. In 2023, Maulet played a key role in the Ravens’ secondary, handling slot corner duties and having success as a blitzer.
The former Saint, Colt, Jet and Steeler has made 85 appearances and 23 starts during his career. Maulet will join the Texans while aiming to occupy at least a part-time role (particularly in the slot). Houston’s perimeter spots are accounted for with Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter, but the team lost Ronald Darby to retirement earlier this offseason.
Playing on a series of short-term deals during his career, it took until 2022 for Maulet to secure a deal carrying a seven-figure AAV. The former UDFA reached that mark on two separate Steelers contracts as well as his Ravens accord. Financial terms of his Texans agreement are not known, but it would come as no surprise if it were to check in at or around the veteran minimum.
Maulet, 32, has only recorded four interceptions in his career but he posted strong coverage numbers during his time in Baltimore. If he manages to do the same with his latest team, a shorter wait on the free agent market should be in store next year. For the time being, attention will turn to Maulet’s ability to carve out a role with Houston during training camp.
DT Khalil Davis Retires
Khalil Davis remains unsigned as training camps open around the league. In lieu of continuing to pursue a free agent deal, the defensive tackle is hanging up his cleats. 
Davis’ agent informed ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Monday of the news. As a result of the decision to end his NFL career, Davis will depart the league at the age of 28. His brother Carlos Davis has not officially retired but he last played in the regular season in 2022 and did not catch on with a team after being among the Bengals’ final cuts last summer.
Khalil Davis was selected one round earlier than his brother in the 2020 draft. Joining Tampa Bay as a sixth-rounder, he made a pair of regular season appearances with the team. Midway through the following season, however, Davis was waived. He played one game with the Colts before bouncing around the Steelers, Rams and Buccaneers’ practice squads.
The Nebraska product signed with the Texans ahead of the 2023 campaign, and it was with Houston that his largest workload emerged. Davis made 24 regular season appearances with the team; in 2023 his defensive snap share of 41% was the highest of his career. He remained with the Texans through the beginning of last season and remained a rotational member of the team’s defensive line. Davis was dealt to the 49ers just before the trade deadline, and he finished out the campaign in San Francisco as a result.
As a member of the Buccaneers during their Super Bowl win in 2020, Davis departs the game with a championship to his name. He added just over $4MM in career earnings while making a combined total of 34 regular and postseason appearances.
NFL Legal Notes: Browns, Rice, Ruggs
In keeping with her prior update on first-year running back Quinshon Judkins, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com confirmed Judkins did not report to training camp with the rest of the Browns’ rookies on Friday. Veterans are due to report on Tuesday, with the first full-squad practice scheduled for Wednesday.
Judkins, a second-round pick, was expected to compete for a significant workload right away, as only Jerome Ford was penciled in above him on the depth chart. Judkins may still see a great deal of action in 2025, but a misdemeanor domestic battery charge has put his NFL career on hold. For now, Cleveland wants Judkins to focus on resolving his legal issues, and it sounds as if the team will not sign him to his rookie contract until that happens.
And, when the legal matter is resolved, Judkins could face discipline from the NFL. Until then, players like fourth-round rookie Dylan Sampson and holdover Pierre Strong will get more reps.
Let’s take a look at a few more legal matters impacting players around the league:
- As expected, Browns LB Devin Bush was arraigned on charges of simple assault and harassment on Friday, per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. After making 16 appearances (10 starts) in his first year in Cleveland in 2024, Bush re-signed with the club on a one-year pact in March. Although the addition of Carson Schwesinger in this year’s draft will eat into Bush’s playing time, the former first-round pick of the Steelers should remain involved in at least a rotational capacity. He will have a pre-trial hearing on August 15.
- Despite a February DUI charge, and despite having failed to earn a role as a regular starter over his first four years in the league, the Ravens re-signed OL Ben Cleveland to a one-year deal this offseason. Baltimore appears to appreciate Cleveland’s ability to back up multiple spots on the O-line and is prepared to once again carry him on the roster as a reserve. According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, Cleveland’s trial has been postponed to November 13. He has pleaded not guilty.
- Chiefs WR Rashee Rice was facing three civil suits stemming from the street-racing crash that took place in March 2024 (the criminal component of the incident was recently resolved, with Rice receiving a 30-day jail sentence and five years of probation). Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star says Rice settled one of the civil matters for $1.086MM, which will accrue interest until paid. Rice, a 2023 second-rounder, has no guaranteed money remaining on his rookie deal, and he stands to lose roughly $70K for every week he misses due to suspension in 2025 (h/t Spotrac, which also notes the club could seek repayment of a portion of Rice’s signing bonus — roughly $23K per week).
- Like Rice, Texans RB Joe Mixon had a civil suit to resolve. As Sheree Paolello of WLWT 5 reports, Mixon settled a lawsuit involving a teenage boy who was shot with a real bullet while playing Nerf Wars near Mixon’s home in March 2023, when Mixon was still a member of the Bengals. As Paolello detailed in a full-length piece a few months after the incident, the shots were allegedly fired by the boyfriend of Mixon’s sister, though the victim’s family believed the gun and ammunition were owned by Mixon. The details of the settlement will not be released.
- Jordan Addison recently entered into a plea agreement in his DUI matter. While the Vikings’ wide receiver did consider going to trial, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (video link), he did not want the issue creating a distraction during training camp. He could still receive a suspension from the league, of course.
- We heard in May that former Raiders WR Henry Ruggs, currently imprisoned for a drunk-driving incident that resulted in the horrific death of a woman and her dog, is eyeing an NFL return. He will be eligible for parole in August 2026, and if he is granted parole, Albert Breer of SI.com believes an NFL club could give him another chance. Breer says it is unclear whether the league would suspend Ruggs; a league official told Breer the matter would be “reviewed” when the time comes.
Texans Agree To Terms With Second-Round T Aireontae Ersery, Complete Rookie Deals
A deal has been worked out with each member of the Texans’ draft class. Second-round offensive linemen Aireontae Ersery agreed to terms with Houston on Saturday. 
The four-year pact is worth a total of $9.21MM, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes. While it is unclear at this point how much Ersery secured in terms of guaranteed money, he is likely among the second-round rookies from the 2025 class who have moved the bar considerably in terms of locked in compensation. Ersery was taken with the No. 48 selection in April.
In 2023, that slot received 68.3% guaranteed; that figure rose to 71.1% last year (h/t Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap). It would come as no surprise if Ersery’s pact includes a larger portion guaranteed while falling short of a 100% rate in that regard. Of course, the Texans helped set a new precedent with respect to second-round guarantees by locking in all of No. 34 pick Jayden Higgins‘ pact in May.
That move created a long-running logjam amongst second-round rookies aiming to join Higgins in receiving a fully guaranteed pact. Not all managed to do so, but in recent days it has become clear players taken in that round will see notably more money locked in at signing moving forward. With Ersery’s deal done, he will be able to report to training camp alongside the rest of the Texans’ rookies along with their veterans on July 22.
Each of Ersery’s five college seasons were spent at Minnesota. He made only one appearance during each of the 2020 and ’21 campaigns, but after that he was a regular for the Golden Gophers who stood out as their left tackle. The second-team All-American was named the Big Ten’s top offensive lineman in 2024 and cemented his status as one of the draft’s top tackle prospects. In Houston, Ersery will look to occupy either the left or right tackle spot on an offensive line which has seen numerous changes this offseason and which enters training camp with a number of unanswered questions.
With Ersery ‘s deal finished, here is a final look at the Texans’ draft class:
- Round 2, No. 34 (from Giants): Jayden Higgins (WR, Iowa State) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 48 (from Dolphins through Raiders): Aireontae Ersery (T, Minnesota) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 79 (from Dolphins through Eagles and Commanders): Jaylin Noel (WR, Iowa State) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 97 (from Vikings through Jaguars)*: Jaylin Smith (CB, USC) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 116 (from Dolphins): Woody Marks (RB, USC) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 187 (from 49ers through Vikings and Jaguars): Jaylen Reed (S, Penn State) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 197 (from Broncos): Graham Mertz (QB, Florida) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 224 (from Bears through Dolphins): Kyonte Hamilton (DT, Rutgers) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 255 (from Browns)*: Luke Lachey (TE, Iowa) (signed)