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Minor NFL Transactions: 10/7/25

October 7th, 2025 at 7:18pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Tuesday’s minor NFL moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Indianapolis Colts

The Falcons and Bears have opened the 21-day practice windows for three injured reserve players today. All three will have the next three weeks in which they can participate in practice until they are completely cleared and able to be activated off of IR at any time during that window. If they fail to be activated after 21 days, they will revert to IR and will not be eligible to be activated to the active roster again this season.

Technically, Graham and Homer were already designated to return in the preseason. At the roster cut deadline, each team can designate two players on IR to be eligible to return after missing at least four games of the regular season. Any other players on IR when the initial 53-man roster is set will not be eligible to return to the roster during that year. Graham and Homer were both one of those designations for their respective teams.

Booker, on the other hand, was placed on IR after the roster cut deadline and has just now been designated to return. The protocol from here on out for each player will be the same.

Colts To Bring Back K Michael Badgley

October 7th, 2025 at 1:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Spencer Shrader‘s season-ending injury will force the Colts to make another change at kicker. After bringing in Shrader to replace Matt Gay, Indianapolis will turn to one of its former options to fill in for Shrader.

Michael Badgley is returning on what NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo report is an active-roster deal. Not kicking in a game since the 2023 season, Badgley previously kicked for the Colts in 2021. Badgley joined Dustin Hopkins and Matt Ammendola at a workout today, the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson notes. Badgley participated in a Falcons workout last month but did not land the gig.

Most recently seeing game action with the Lions, Badgley played for the Colts in 2021. He kicked in 12 games for Indianapolis that season, replacing the injured Rodrigo Blankenship. Badgley kicked for the Bears and Lions in 2022 and stayed in Detroit in 2023, residing on the Lions’ practice squad for much of the season before eventually replacing Riley Patterson as the team’s primary kicker.

Now 30, Badgley is best remembered for a three-season Chargers stint. He has been a nomadic NFL specialist since that 2018-20 stretch. Badgley only attempted four regular-season field goals with the 2023 Lions, making them all. In 2022, he made 24 of 28 tries between stops in Chicago and Detroit. As a Colt in 2021, Badgley was 18-for-21. He has only made two 50-plus-yard field goals since his Chargers stint wrapped, going 2-for-4 in that span.

Shrader won the competition to replace Gay but went down during Indy’s Week 5 win over Las Vegas, suffering ACL and MCL tears. The Colts have a new coaching staff from Badgley’s 2021 stint, but GM Chris Ballard remains in place. The ninth-year GM will see if Badgley can help his resurgent team retain its current course. Hopkins is still searching for a gig after being a Browns cut in August; Ammendola has not kicked since a five-game cameo with the 2023 Texans.

This marks more kicker turnover for a Colts team that has not seen the same kicker complete three consecutive seasons in the role since Adam Vinatieri‘s retirement. Blankenship was out one game into his third season (2022), after missing most of 2021, while the team bailed on Gay’s four-year deal two seasons in. With Shrader on the shelf for a while, Badgley — who has not played a full season with a team since 2020 in Los Angeles — will hold the job for the time being.

Colts Work Out Kendall Fuller, Lewis Cine

October 6th, 2025 at 9:37pm CST by Connor Byrne

The Colts worked out defensive backs Kendall Fuller and Lewis Cine on Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports. Those two join Tre Hawkins as free agent DBs on the Colts’ radar.

At 4-1, Indianapolis has emerged as one of the NFL’s most unexpected success stories early in 2025. After a 40-6 dismantling of the Raiders on Sunday, the Colts’ defense ranks third in the league in points per game allowed (17.8). Nevertheless, the team is on the lookout for help in the secondary after starting cornerback Xavien Howard abruptly retired last week.

Like Howard, Fuller comes with an extensive resume in the NFL. A third-round pick in 2016, the 30-year-old has amassed 128 appearances, 104 starts, and 16 interceptions in nine seasons divided among Washington, Kansas City, and Miami.

In 2024, his lone season with the Dolphins, Fuller started in all 11 of his games and racked up 50 tackles with seven passes defensed. Fuller failed to pick off a pass for the first time since 2019, though, and the Dolphins released him in February.

Cine, a safety, entered the league as a first-round selection (No. 32) of the Vikings in 2022. The former Georgia Bulldog hasn’t established himself in the pros, however, thanks in part to a gruesome injury that derailed his rookie season. Cine suffered a compound fracture of his left leg during the third game of his career and had to undergo multiple surgeries to repair it. The 26-year-old has played in just eight regular-season games since then (seven with the Vikings in 2023, one with the Bills in 2024), and he hasn’t been a factor on defense. Almost all of his snaps (134 of 144) have come on special teams.

Cine, who ended last season with the Super Bowl-winning Eagles, has been available since they waived him from IR last month. That came after he dealt with another leg injury during the preseason.

CB Tre Hawkins Drawing Interest

October 6th, 2025 at 2:47pm CST by Adam La Rose

Injuries limited Tre Hawkins to three games last season and left him off the Giants’ roster following training camp this summer. The free agent cornerback is unsigned at this point, but that could soon change.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports Hawkins is making progress in his recovery from the hamstring injury he dealt with during training camp. The Giants ultimately waived him with an injury designation, ending his New York tenure but allowing Hawkins to sign with a new team after a specified period. According to Wilson, the list of Hawkins suitors consists of the 49ers, Ravens, Lions, Dolphins and Colts.

Cornerback represents an area of need to varying extents in the case of all five of those teams. Miami moved on from Kendall Fuller (through release) and Jalen Ramsey (through trade) this offseason. The CB spot remained a question through training camp and into the season, and a number of injuries have now piled up. As such, a Hawkins signing could result in immediate playing time.

That is also the case for teams like Indianapolis (with Xavien Howard recently being moved to the reserve/Retired list) and Detroit (with D.J. Reed currently residing on injured reserve). Baltimore’s defense includes several key missing contributors. That includes cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Chidobe Awuzie, both of whom were sidelined yesterday and could miss further game action.

San Francisco’s secondary has seen the likes of Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green handle full-time starting roles as expected. Depth is always sought out in the middle of the season, though, and with a 4-1 record the NFC West leaders represent a logical candidate to pursue multiple additions during the campaign. With nearly $24MM in cap space, the 49ers could certainly afford to take multiple fliers on free agents.

Hawkins, 25, saw part-time usage on defense and special teams during his rookie season. The former sixth-rounder saw his snap share increase to 40% the following year, but he was only available for 89 snaps. Given today’s update, a number of teams certainly see upside in this case in addition to an encouraging outlook on the health front. It will be interesting to see how many visits Hawkins makes over the coming days given his list of suitors.

Colts K Spencer Shrader Out For Season

October 6th, 2025 at 2:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

2:30pm: Steichen announced Shrader has torn his ACL and MCL, confirming a long rehab process is in store. Steichen added (via Erickson) the Colts will hold kicker workouts over the coming days to begin the process of finding a replacement.

12:44pm: The Colts improved to 4-1 yesterday but they were dealt a serious special teams blow in the process. Kicker Spencer Shrader suffered a knee injury and after the game head coach Shane Steichen expressed concern (via ESPN’s Stephen Holder) about the ailment being serious.

Shrader is now known to be out for the remainder of the campaign. The 26-year-old suffered multiple ligament tears, as first noted by Pat McAfee during Monday’s episode of his show (video link). Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star confirms that is the diagnosis in this case.

As such, Shrader is now in store for a lengthy rehab process. The Colts will also need to search for an in-season addition at the kicker position to fill in for the remainder of the campaign. Schrader kicked for three teams last year (including Indianapolis) before landing the full-time gig this offseason. The former UDFA had been enjoying a stellar start to the year, taking home Special Teams Player of the Month honors in September.

Schrader connected on 13 of 14 field goal attempts this season, including a five-for-five performance against the Broncos which involved a game-winning kick as time expired. The South Florida/Notre Dame product also converted each of his 14 extra point tries. As the Colts look to maintain their strong start to the season, they will need to do so without Shrader’s consistent presence in the kicking game.

Indianapolis currently ranks near the bottom of the NFL in terms of cap space with $4.06MM in available funds. That should still be sufficient to acquire a new kicker to close out the season, although the Colts will be hard-pressed to find a replacement capable of duplicating the success seen through five games. Shrader is under contract through 2026, and he will now aim to rehab in time for next season.

Anthony Richardson, Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins Not Drawing Trade Interest

October 4th, 2025 at 10:46pm CST by Connor Byrne

With experienced starting quarterbacks Anthony Richardson (Colts), Russell Wilson (Giants), and Kirk Cousins (Falcons) occupying backup roles for their teams, it stands to reason any of the three could wind up on the move before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. However, four weeks into the season, nobody from that group has drawn interest, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports.

Of that trio, Richardson is the least likely to change hands, according to Jones. The former fourth overall pick (2023) disappointed during his first two years in the league, and he then lost a preseason competition to Daniel Jones for the Colts’ starting job this summer. Jones has since gotten off to a surprisingly fast start for the 3-1 Colts, further calling Richardson’s future into question.

The Colts are inclined to keep Richardson through the season, though, as he’ll remain under team control in 2026. He has a fifth-year option for 2027 that Indianapolis will have to decide on in the offseason. Unless his stock rises dramatically this year, it would be a shock if the Colts exercised it.

With the Giants having benched Wilson for rookie Jaxson Dart in late September, the 36-year-old looks like the most logical trade candidate of this group. The Giants haven’t actively sought out offers for Wilson, per Jones, but that could change over the next month. They already have another veteran backup in Jameis Winston under contract for next season.

Wilson, on the other hand, is due to reach free agency again during the spring after signing a one-year, $10.5MM contract with the Giants. An acquiring team would take on Wilson’s prorated $2MM base salary while likely surrendering a Day 3 draft pick, Jones hears.

Despite a quality track record as a starter, it’s no surprise that Cousins hasn’t drawn interest. His contract – which comes with expensive guarantees in the form of a $27.5MM base salary this year and a $10MM roster bonus for 2026 – is prohibitive. The Falcons would reportedly want an acquiring team to take on Cousins’ financial commitments and give up a premium draft pick. Barring drastic changes, he’s likely to ride out the season as the backup to Michael Penix Jr.

Assuming none of Richardson, Wilson, or Cousins end up back in starting roles with their current teams, it may require a contending club(s) suffering a significant injury at QB for any of them to garner trade interest. The Bengals make sense as a potential suitor on paper, having lost starter Joe Burrow to a toe injury in Week 2. Burrow could miss three months (if not more), and backup Jake Browning has struggled mightily since taking the reins. Despite that, the Bengals remain confident in Browning. They also rarely swing in-season trades, and the Mike Brown-led organization may be unwilling to add to its payroll.

Beyond Cincinnati, the Ravens, Vikings, and 49ers are also dealing with injuries to their starters. The Ravens’ Lamar Jackson could miss multiple games with a hamstring injury, but they signed an experienced backup in Cooper Rush last March.

The Vikings also have a battle-tested reserve of their own, Carson Wentz, who’s playing in place of J.J. McCarthy as he recovers from an ankle sprain. As for the 49ers, they appear to be in great shape with No. 2 signal-caller Mac Jones, who has excelled filling in for Brock Purdy. With Purdy down with a toe injury, Jones has led the 49ers to three wins in as many starts.

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 7:

Arizona Cardinals

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Atlanta Falcons

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

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

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 7

Chicago Bears

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Activations remaining: 6

Cincinnati Bengals

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Cleveland Browns

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 7

Dallas Cowboys

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Denver Broncos

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

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 (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

Indianapolis Colts

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

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):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Los Angeles Rams

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 8

Miami Dolphins

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Minnesota Vikings

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

New England Patriots

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 7

New Orleans Saints

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

New York Giants

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

New York Jets

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 7

Philadelphia Eagles

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

Pittsburgh Steelers

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

San Francisco 49ers

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

Seattle Seahawks

Designated for return (Aug. 26):

Activations remaining: 7

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 8

Tennessee Titans

Designated for return:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 7

Washington Commanders

Designated for return:

Activations remaining: 8

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.

Anthony Richardson Open To Developing Under Offensive Coach

October 2nd, 2025 at 10:41pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

It seems like the Anthony Richardson experiment in Indianapolis is over.

The No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft only played 15 games in his first two seasons and lost a training camp battle to Daniel Jones this year. Jones’ success at the helm of a Colts offense that is mostly unchanged from their last two campaigns has seemingly made it clear that Richardson was simply not ready for a starting role.

The Colts have seemingly decided to move on from Richardson at some point. They won’t pick up his $22.9MM fifth-year option for the 2027 season (via OverTheCap) and could even try to trade him in the next year before his rookie contract expires.

Teams may even have interest at this season’s trade deadline. There is no doubt that Richardson has struggled to start his career, but his physical traits will remain tantalizing for any coach who believes that they can get the best out of him. Acquiring him this year (as opposed to in the offseason) will allow him to get acclimated in a new system and hit the ground running in 2026.

Such a path forward might be appealing to Richardson, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who mentioned Sean McVay and the Rams as a potential possibility. Retirement rumors have followed Matthew Stafford in the past two offseason, and Richardson could be a low-cost lottery ticket for future starter.

The Steelers come to mind as a team in a similar situation with Aaron Rodgers, though offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has not fielded a top-10 unit since his time in Tennessee. The Raiders also have an uncertain future under center beyond 34-year-old Geno Smith. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and minority owner Tom Brady could be part of the appeal in Las Vegas.

Of course, this is all assuming that there is a team who wants Richardson and a desire from both Richardson and the Colts to part ways. That does not seem to be the case quite yet, though offers of opportunity for the former and draft capital for the latter may be enough to change their minds.

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