AFC South Notes: Texans, Jaguars, Grant
The Texans shopped Cam Robinson before last week’s roster-setting deadline but held onto the $12MM tackle. However, Houston’s O-line overhaul indeed will not have a Week 1 job waiting for the ninth-year veteran. Aireontae Ersery beat out Robinson for the Texans’ left tackle position, according to the team’s depth chart. This indicates a high degree of confidence in the Minnesota product, whom the team traded up for in Round 2. Robinson joins 2024 second-round pick Blake Fisher as backup tackles. The veteran’s name could appear in pre-deadline trade rumors for the second straight year. Laken Tomlinson, Jake Andrews and Ed Ingram round out Houston’s front five. Robinson, 29, has started all 101 games he has played. That streak will end Sunday.
Here is the latest from the AFC South:
- C.J. Gardner-Johnson was feared to have suffered a training camp ACL tear. Even when the veteran safety turned out to have evaded a season-ending diagnosis, he missed time leading up to the season. As it turns out, the famed trash talker is expected to be on the field for the Texans in Week 1, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The Texans are down Jimmie Ward, who is on the commissioner’s exempt list, but having CJGJ available alongside Calen Bullock will help one of the NFL’s best defenses.
- Houston created nearly $5MM in cap space by restructuring Dalton Schultz‘s contract, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. This is a simple restructure, rather than a true rework, with most of the veteran TE’s 2025 base salary shifted into a signing bonus to drop his cap hit from $14MM to $9.09MM. Schultz’s three-year, $36MM deal still runs through 2026, though it now carries a $18.92MM 2026 cap number.
- The Jaguars‘ backfield makeup is rather interesting entering the season. Two holdovers (Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby) join two Liam Coen–James Gladstone rookie investments (Bhayshul Tuten, LeQuint Allen) on the depth chart. While Etienne came up as a trade candidate earlier this year, the former first-rounder remains rostered. Despite going in the seventh round, Allen has impressed Jags brass enough a role as the team’s third-down back is in play, per ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. A two-year starter at Syracuse, Allen led the ACC with 20 touchdowns last season. His third and final Orange year produced a pass-game uptick — in the form of 64 catches for 521 yards. With Tuten clocking a 4.32-second 40-yard dash time at the Combine, the Jags have an interesting array of options here. While Travis Hunter‘s early-season deployment will garner far more attention, how the Jags’ RB hierarchy looks will also be of interest as the Coen era starts.
- Bumped off the 49ers’ 53-man roster after making the initial squad, Richie Grant is still receiving looks. The Colts worked out Grant (32 career starts) this week, ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner notes. Indianapolis also brought in Boston Scott for an audition, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. Scott has not caught on with a team yet this year; the 30-year-old RB — a six-year Eagles contributor — did not see any game action in 2024.
Jaguars’ Travis Hunter To Start On Offense, Come Off Bench On Defense
Another revelation with the onset of teams’ unofficial depth charts came in Jacksonville, where ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes that rookie No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter has been listed as a starting wide receiver on offense but a backup cornerback on defense. It’s an intriguing development in what has been a closely-watched situation concerning Hunter’s ability to play both ways at the NFL level. 
In Colorado last year, Hunter won the Heisman Trophy after playing 753 of a possible 871 (86%) snaps on offense and 776 of a possible 938 (83%) snaps on defense. Hunter did so all while ranking as a top-performing player at both wide receiver and cornerback. In fact, he won both the Fred Biletnikoff Award for the NCAA’s best wide receiver and the Chuck Bednarik Award for the NCAA’s best defensive player.
In the NFL last year, triple-crown wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase played 1,053 of a possible 1,136 (93%) snaps on offense and Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II played 1,054 of a possible 1,233 (85%) snaps on defense. For more realistic comparisons, top rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. played 822 of a possible 1,033 (80%) snaps on offense and Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell — finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting — played 1,158 of a possible 1,320 (88%) snaps on defense.
There are multiple challenges that experts cite as issues that could keep Hunter from continuing to work as a two-way player in the NFL. As noted in the difference of possible snaps counts above, NFL seasons are much longer than college football seasons. Chase’s offense played 265 more snaps than Hunter’s — a 31% increase — and Mitchell’s defense played 382 more snaps than Hunter’s — a 41% increase. That’s a lot of extra snaps for a player to be on the field, even if they have displayed outstanding endurance by playing both ways in college.
It may seem unfair to hold Hunter up to the expectations of award winners and the top rookies from last year, but the only reason Hunter could be a two-way starter in the NFL would be if he is truly starting-caliber on both sides of the ball. If playing on both sides of the ball takes away from his ability to be starting-caliber on either side, it feels as if his value would be better served focusing on one side of the ball.
For much of the draft process, it was believed that most teams viewed Hunter as either a wide receiver or a cornerback, with most slotting him in on defense. That made it seem likely that he may be a starting cornerback who may enter the offense for specialty plays or situations here and there, but the opposite seems to be the case now in Duval. Now, it appears that he will be a starter at wide receiver and rotate in off the bench in the secondary.
It’s hard to say whether the Jaguars are truly entertaining the idea of playing Hunter on both sides of the ball all season, as they have in training camp and the preseason, or if this depth chart is how rookie head coach Liam Coen is breaking it softly to Hunter that his focus is going to be on the offense. We won’t truly know until Sunday, when Hunter’s Jaguars host the Panthers and rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, a player Hunter did a good job of defending over two years in college.
Indeed, while Schefter confirmed in a subsequent report that Hunter would be an every-down wide receiver and situational corner in the team’s regular season opener against Carolina, the team still plans to vary his usage throughout the course of the year. There may be some weeks when he is used as both a full-time wideout and CB, and even his Week 2 snap counts could look very different than his Week 1 deployment.
It will be interesting to watch so many aspects of Hunter’s use in the NFL this year. How much will he see the field on defense as a backup cornerback to Tyson Campbell and Jarrian Jones? Will the rookie be prominently featured on the offense in a receiving corps alongside Thomas and Dyami Brown? If Jacksonville does play him both ways, will they limit his time on both sides of the ball or will they play him as much he wants to go? Does overuse result in poor play or potential injuries? With so many answers waiting in the near future, Sunday can’t come soon enough.
WR Tim Patrick Drew Trade Interest From Multiple Teams
Tim Patrick survived roster cuts last week but he did not remain in place with the Lions long after that point. The veteran wideout was traded to the Jaguars one day after Detroit’s initial roster was in place. 
A sixth-round pick was exchanged to allow Patrick to head to Jacksonville just ahead of Week 1. That return certainly suggests a tepid market existed in this case, but other suitors were in the mix as well. Lions general manager Brad Holmes said (via ESPN’s Eric Woodyard) multiple teams showed interest in acquiring Patrick.
In 2024, the 31-year-old found success in a complementary role with Detroit. Patrick totaled 394 yards and three touchdowns on 33 catches, and that production landed him $2.5MM guaranteed on a new Lions pact in the spring. Instead of a second campaign in the Motor City, though, the former Bronco will spend the coming campaign in Jacksonville. He will add a veteran presence to a heavily renovated WR room in the process.
The Jaguars traded away Christian Kirk while also releasing Gabe Davis and Devin Duvernay. Jacksonville’s new regime will rely heavily on 2024 first-rounder Brian Thomas Jr. along with No. 2 pick Travis Hunter (whose exact offensive workload is yet to be determined, of course) in the passing game. Free agent addition Dyami Brown is also in the fold for 2025, but Patrick – a fellow pending free agent – will look to carve out the No. 3 role on his latest team.
In the meantime, the Lions will move forward with plenty of continuity at the receiver spot. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond are set to reprise their roles from last season. Third-year tight end Sam LaPorta can again be expected to serve as a focal point in the passing game as well. With a limited workload in store for Patrick had he remained with the Lions, Holmes noted he felt the change of scenery was the best case scenario for all involved.
With Patrick no longer in the fold, third-round rookie Isaac TeSlaa could stand to benefit. The training camp standout primarily worked with the backups on offense this summer, but Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press notes an increased role could become available as the season progresses. During his two-year run at Arkansas, TeSlaa flashed potential based on his size and athleticism. Especially with Raymond scheduled for free agency next spring, a starting spot could be available to TeSlaa in 2026 or even earlier depending on how the coming months play out.
Failed Waiver Claims Following Roster Cut Deadline
Following every team’s efforts to get down from a 90-man training camp roster to a 53-man active roster for the regular season, waiver wire claims were processed on non-vested players that were cut. There were a few players who drew more interest than others. We’ve already seen the breakdown of claims for former Ravens cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis and former Cardinals cornerback Jaylon Jones, so here’s a look at a couple more. 
The Ravens also waived Beau Brade, an undrafted safety out of nearby Maryland who made the team as a rookie last year. Mostly a special teamer throughout his year in Baltimore, Brade fell victim to an influx of unexpected talent from the team’s new undrafted class as rookie free agents as Keyon Martin and Reuben Lowery earned spots over Armour-Davis and himself. Per ESPN’s Field Yates, the Jaguars were interested in bringing Brade to Duval, but the Giants had the higher waiver priority.
Armour-Davis wasn’t the only player the Titans were awarded off waivers. Tennessee also ended up claiming cornerback Samuel Womack fresh off his dismissal from Indianapolis. A fifth-round pick out of Toledo in 2022, Womack started eight games for the Colts last year after getting waived by the 49ers in 2024’s final roster cuts. Tennessee was awarded the 26-year-old this year, although the Browns also put in a claim, according to Garafolo.
Garafolo pointed out one more such instance with former Jaguars defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson. A fourth-round pick out of LSU last year, Jefferson was waived by Jacksonville after being inactive for nine games his rookie year. The Bengals, who desperately need improvement on the defensive line this season, put in a claim for Jefferson to come to Cincinnati, but the 49ers held a higher waiver priority and claimed him for themselves.
Yates also brought up another, noting that linebacker Cam Jones had a claim from the Colts before being awarded to the Jets, while ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that former Eagles offensive guard Trevor Keegan was awarded to the Cowboys due to their waiver priority over the Chargers.
Similarly, when the Giants waived fan favorite backup quarterback Tommy DeVito, they hoped that they would be able to bring him back to their practice squad, per Geoff Magliocchetti of Sports Illustrated. Instead, the Patriots claimed him off waivers, and now Paul Schwartz of The New York Post reports that the Giants will not sign a quarterback to practice squad, as a result. It’s just as well, considering the team is carrying three passers on the active roster.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/29/25
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Claimed off waivers (from Rams): S Thomas Harper
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Eli Pancol
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed from practice squad: TE Robert Tonyan
New England Patriots
- Claimed off waivers (from Bengals): DT Eric Gregory
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Gunner Olszewski
- Placed on IR: CB Rico Payton
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: G Willie Lampkin
- Waived (with injury settlement): CB Tariq Castro-Fields
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Brandon Johnson
Tennessee Titans
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Matt Landers
Free Agent
- Suspended: DT Tyler Manoa
Manoa will be suspended for the first two weeks of the season, if he lands with an NFL squad. While details of the suspension have not been disclosed, it may be linked to an incident that led to him being kicked out of Allegiant Stadium in the spring after some alleged property damage.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/29/25
NFL teams continue adjusting their practice squads as we close in on the regular season:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: CB Zion Childress
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Micah Robinson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Austin Trammell
- Released: WR Dorian Singer
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DE Ethan Downs, DT Brodric Martin, DT Zacch Pickens, DE Tyreke Smith
- Released: DT Coziah Izzard, WR Hal Presley
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: CB Harrison Hand
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: S Jordan Colbert
New England Patriots
- Signed: T Thayer Munford
- Released: G Jack Conley
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Zaire Barnes, OL McClendon Curtis
- Released: OLB Trace Ford
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Ambry Thomas
- Released: WR Terrace Marshall, CB Eli Ricks
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DT Evan Anderson, T Kilian Zierer
- Released: DE William Bradley-King
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Timmy Horne, T John Ojukwu
- Released: RB Jermar Jefferson, CB Amani Oruwariye
Anderson cleared waivers after being cut and can now be assigned to the 49ers’ practice squad. The reason San Francisco can add two while only dropping one from a full practice squad is because Zierer is from Munich, Germany, qualifying him to be a part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. While practice squads are capped at 16 players, teams can keep a 17th player if they are a part of the IPPP.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/28/25
Teams around the NFL continued to adjust their practice squads as new players came free from Wednesday’s transactions. Here are all the latest updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Chigozie Anusiem, OL Demontrey Jacobs, QB Kedon Slovis
- Released: OL Sincere Haynesworth
Arizona Falcons
- Signed: OT Ryan Hayes
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Jalen Kimber, DE Andre Jones Jr.
- Released: CB Daequan Hardy
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DT Jaden Crumedy, DB Kalen King, RB DeeJay Dallas
- Released: DB Shemar Bartholomew
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Nikola Kalinic, DB Dontae Manning, DB Gervarrius Owens
- Released: LS Luke Elkin, DB Mekhi Garner
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: OT Javon Foster, S Russ Yeast
- Released: OT Devin Cochran
- Signed: CB Dom Jones, TE Brenden Bates, OT Logan Brown, G Garrett Dellinger, LB Edefuan Ulofoshio
- Released: DT Ralph Holley
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DE Isaiah Land
Denver Broncos:
- Signed: TE Patrick Murtaugh
Detroit Lions:
- Signed: DE Andre Carter
Green Bay Packers:
- Signed: OT Dalton Cooper, QB Clayton Tune, TE Josh Whyle
Houston Texans:
- Signed: OT Reid Holskey, WR Josh Kelly
Indianapolis Colts:
- Signed: WR Laquon Treadwell, S Ben Nikkel, WR Tyler Scott
- Released: WR Tyler Kahmann
Jacksonville Jaguars:
- Signed: DL Matt Dickerson, WR Erik Ezukanma
Kansas City Chiefs:
- Signed: S Jammie Robinson
Los Angeles Chargers:
- Signed: OT Foster Sarell
Miami Dolphins:
- Signed: RB JaMycal Hasty
Minnesota Vikings:
- Signed: S K’Von Wallace
New England Patriots:
- Signed: LB Mark Robinson, DB Corey Ballentine, DT Cory Durden, DT Fabien Lovett
- Released: LB Cam Riley, TE Gee Scott Jr., CB Brandon Crossley
New York Giants:
- Signed: TE Qadir Ismail
New York Jets:
- Signed: OL Marquis Hayes, DB Korie Black
Philadelphia Eagles:
- Signed: WR Britain Covey, OT Luke Felix Fualalo
San Francisco 49ers:
- Signed: QB Adrian Martinez, RB Sincere McCormick
Seattle Seahawks:
- Signed: LB Chris Paul Jr., WR/KR Courtney Jackson, CB Shaquill Griffin
- Released: DT Anthony Campbell, LB Jalan Gaines, RB Anthony Tyus III
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
- Signed: QB Connor Bazelak, DL C.J. Brewer, WR Garrett Greene, G Luke Haggard, CB Bryce Hall, S Jack Henderson, WR Dennis Houston, DL Nash Hutmacher, LB Nick Jackson, DL Jayson Jones, OL Michael Jordan, OLB Mohamed Kamara, T Tyler McLellan, T Lorenz Metz, G Ben Scott, TE Tanner Taula
Tennessee Titans:
- Signed: OL Corey Levin, OL Clay Webb, DB Sam Webb
Washington Commanders:
Signed: RB Donovan Edwards, CB Darius Rush
Ismail was one of 17 players to work out for the Giants on Thursday, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. He won the practice squad spot over more notable players like former Broncos safety Caden Sterns and former Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Canadian quarterback Taylor Elgersma also attended the workout, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, suggesting that the Giants might be looking for extra depth at the position.
Wallace worked out for the Vikings on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. It must have gone well, as he was signed to the practice squad hours later as extra depth both in the secondary and on special teams.
Griffin returned to the Seahawks this offseason, eight years after they made him a third-round pick in the 2017 draft. He did not make Seattle’s 53-man roster, but as a vested veteran, he was able to re-sign to the practice squad without going through waivers.
Lions To Trade WR Tim Patrick To Jaguars
For a second straight August, Tim Patrick will be on the move. A year after making a Denver-to-Detroit trip, the veteran wide receiver is heading to Jacksonville.
The Lions are trading Patrick to the Jaguars, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. The Jags are sending a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Lions in this trade. Patrick is tied to a guaranteed one-year, $2.5MM deal. The deal is now official, and the Jags waived wide receiver Austin Trammell to clear a roster spot.
Patrick, 31, had missed two full seasons but managed to stay healthy after joining the Lions in 2024. The Broncos moved on from the 6-foot-4 receiver following training camp last year, dangling him in trades before not including him as part of their initial 53-man roster. As Denver went with a younger group of pass catchers alongside Courtland Sutton, Patrick caught on with Detroit’s practice squad before making a quick move onto the active roster.
The former UDFA caught 33 passes for 394 yards and three TDs, working as a possession receiver in an explosive Lions attack. Patrick operated as an auxiliary wideout for a Lions team that had three defined targets ahead of him — Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta — and made key contributions for a 15-2 juggernaut. The season reestablished some value for Patrick, who suffered ACL and Achilles tears during the 2022 and ’23 training camps.
While Patrick did not live up to the three-year, $30MM extension he signed with the Broncos during the 2021 season, his reemergence caught the Jaguars’ attention. Patrick posted back-to-back 700-plus-yard years (2020-21), drawing a second-round RFA tender, and will now be positioned to complement Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. The Jags also signed Dyami Brown to a one-year deal.
The ex-Commanders Day 2 draftee and Patrick are positioned as complementary pieces, though it is still not known how much Hunter will play on offense as he prepares for a historic two-way role. Patrick stands to give the Jags some cover there, as Hunter may not be available on a full-time basis offensively.
This trade clears some runway space for Lions third-round pick Isaac TeSlaa, a Combine standout whom the team traded up for in the third round. The Lions used third- and seventh-round picks on receivers (Dominic Lovett going in Round 7) and kept six on their initial 53-man roster Tuesday. Detroit traded up 30 spots (from No. 102 to No. 70) for TeSlaa, highlighting an interest in developing him as its WR3 for the time being. Two years remain on Williams’ rookie deal.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC South
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Colts, Jaguars, Texans and Titans moves are noted below.
Houston Texans
Signed to practice squad:
- CB Damon Arnette, T Trent Brown, TE Harrison Bryant, DB Myles Bryant, DE Solomon Byrd, OL Eli Cox, FB Jakob Johnson, RB Jawhar Jordan, TE Luke Lachey, DT Haggai Ndubuisi, LB K.C. Ossai, DT Junior Tafuna, OL Jaylon Thomas, WR Jared Wayne, LB Jackson Woodard
Indianapolis Colts
Claimed:
- LB Chad Muma (from Jaguars)
Signed to practice squad:
- LB Austin Ajiake, RB Ulysses Bentley IV, RB Khalil Herbert, T Marcellus Johnson, WR Tyler Kahmann, CB Chris Lammons, TE Maximilian Mang, TE Sean McKeon, DE Durell Nchami, WR Coleman Owen, G Josh Sills, DT Josh Tupou, C Mose Vavao, S Trey Washington
Jacksonville Jaguars
Signed to practice squad:
- WR Chandler Brayboy, OL Jerome Carvin, LB Branson Combs, QB Seth Henigan, TE Patrick Herbert,RB Ja’Quinden Jackson, OL Ricky Lee, CB Keni-H Lovely, TE Quintin Morris, DB Jabbar Muhammad, DL Keivie Rose, DB Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig, WR Dorian Singer, OL Sal Wormley
Tennessee Titans
Claimed:
- CB Jalyn Armour-Davis (from Ravens), LB Dorian Mausi (from Vikings), C.J. Ravenell (from Ravens), CB Samuel Womack (from Colts)
Waived:
- DT Timmy Horne, LB Curtis Jacobs, CB Gabe Jeudy-Lally, T John Ojukwu
Released:
Signed to practice squad:
-
DB Kendell Brooks, DL Ali Gaye, DT Cam Horsley, RB Jermar Jefferson, WR Mason Kinsey, RB Jordan Mims, TE Thomas Odukova, CB Amani Oruwariye, WR James Proche, WR Xavier Restrepo, DT Isaiah Raikes, OL Andrew Rupcich, QB Trevor Siemian, DL Carlos Watkins
2025 NFL Waiver Order
Many of the players cut Tuesday were subject to waivers, giving teams a chance to pick them up (along with the rest of their contract). Teams can claim as many players as they want before the next team gets their remaining targets.
It’s also worth noting that relatively few players are claimed off waivers during final roster cuts each year. Waiver claims will be processed at 11am CT in the following order (via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo). In reverse order of the 2024 NFL standings, here is how the waiver priority sits:
- Titans
- Browns
- Giants
- Patriots
- Jaguars
- Raiders
- Jets
- Panthers
- Saints
- Bears
- 49ers
- Cowboys
- Dolphins
- Colts
- Falcons
- Cardinals
- Bengals
- Seahawks
- Buccaneers
- Broncos
- Steelers
- Chargers
- Packers
- Vikings
- Texans
- Rams
- Ravens
- Lions
- Commanders
- Bills
- Chiefs
- Eagles