Minor NFL Transactions: 11/12/25
Here are today’s midweek NFL minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Waived (with injury settlement): P Cameron Johnston
Cleveland Browns
- Signed to active roster: WR Kaden Davis
Denver Broncos
- Designated for return from IR: LB Garret Wallow
Houston Texans
- Signed to active roster: CB Myles Bryant
- Designated for return from IR: TE Cade Stover
- Placed on IR: S M.J. Stewart (story)
Johnston’s injuries have seemingly led to him looking for a new team yet again, assuming he clears waivers. The veteran punter signed with Pittsburgh last year, following two three-year stints in Philadelphia and Houston. In his first game as a Steeler, though, Johnston suffered a season-ending knee injury on his kicking leg. He’d been given a chance to win the job back from Corliss Waitman, who had filled in during his absence, but lost the job and a spot on the team’s initial 53-man roster.
Rebounding quickly, Johnston signed with the Bills after they made a quick decision to move on from Brad Robbins following their season opener. Johnston got through three games with his new team before suffered an injury on his planting foot that would lead him to injured reserve. Now, the veteran heads to the waiver wire before he’ll have the ability to shop himself out for new opportunities.
Texans S M.J. Stewart To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
The Texans managed to win on Sunday thanks to a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback. They will be shorthanded in the secondary for the remainder of the campaign, however. 
Safety M.J. Stewart was injured in the first half of today’s contest against the Jaguars. An air cast was placed on his left leg before he was carted off the field. Further testing has revealed Stewart tore his quadriceps, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. As a result, season-ending surgery will be required.
This news means Houston will be without a key contributor on defense moving forward. Stewart hardly saw the field during the first three weeks of the season, but the decision to release C.J. Gardner-Johnson created a vacancy in the starting lineup. Stewart was tasked with filling that spot, and the eighth-year veteran saw a major uptick in playing time after that switch.
Now, the Texans will be forced to find another new first-team option at the safety spot. The team sits at 4-5 on the year thanks to today’s win, so a push into a wild-card spot remains possible. If Houston is to reach the postseason, continued strong play on defense – the team entered Week 10 ranked top-six in the NFL against the run and pass – will be required. Without Stewart in the fold, however, a veteran presence will be missed.
The former second-rounder has been with the Texans since 2018. Stewart remained in place via a one-year, $2.5MM deal this offseason. His free agent market was not in line to be particularly robust anyway, but this injury will obviously hurt his earning potential on the open market.
With the trade deadline having come and gone, Houston’s opportunities to add depth will be limited. The Texans have $7.71MM in cap space, though, so a modest free agent signing will be feasible.
Latest On Texans’ Safety Plan
For the second time, after spending a season with the Eagles, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson only played three games with his new team. The first time, in Detroit, an injury in the second game of the season forced him to the sideline until the regular season finale. This year, Houston released the veteran defensive back and will now need to fill his role on the defense.
According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, another veteran defensive back, M.J. Stewart will be the next man up at the position. A second-round pick out of North Carolina in 2018, Stewart started his career as a slot cornerback for the Buccaneers. He made six starts in his first two seasons but missed 11 games and was waived before the start of his third year.
The Browns picked Stewart up off waivers, and while splitting time at nickelback with Kevin Johnson, Stewart snagged the only two interceptions of his career. He stuck around with the Browns for the final year of his rookie contract, and Cleveland began to give him a bit of run at safety. Though he was still splitting his time between the slot and the defensive outfield, Stewart began to look more comfortable as a defender, grading out as the team’s third-best defender that 2021 season, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
As a free agent, Stewart signed with the Texans, and though he’s mostly been a special teamer during his time in Houston, when the depth piece did appear on defense, he was lining up the most as a safety. In those first three years with the team, he was always an available option to sub into the first team defense in case of injuries, and he was called to do so a few times. That’s why head coach DeMeco Ryans feels comfortable turning to him now, in the wake of Gardner-Johnson’s departure.
Stewart may not need to be relied upon for long, though. Veteran safety Jimmie Ward was recently removed from the commissioner’s exempt list as he distances himself from an assault family violence charge. Despite the removal, Ward still isn’t quite ready to return to the field as he remains on the reserve/physically unable to perform list following a pair of offseason foot surgeries. Per Wilson, Ward is expected to be ready to return to practice activities in the next few weeks, barring any disciplinary action on behalf of the NFL concerning the resolution of his legal situation.
Houston will add a bit of depth to the position, as well. Wilson reports that undrafted rookie Zion Childress has been signed to the team’s active roster off of the Cowboys‘ practice squad. Childress has been called up twice by Dallas as a standard gameday practice squad elevation but has only appeared on special teams, so far. With Stewart stepping into the starting role, Childress may stand to fill Stewart’s special teams role with an ability to step up, if necessary.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/14/25
Friday’s minor NFL moves after a busy week of transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Simi Fehoko
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Keith Taylor
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: G Kendrick Green
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Kenny Yeboah
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: S M.J. Stewart, T Zachary Thomas
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Corey Ballentine
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Del’Shawn Phillips
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: DT Larrell Murchison
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: WR Dee Eskridge
New York Giants
- Signed: DT Jeremiah Ledbetter
New York Jets
- Signed: P Austin McNamara
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Kylen Granson, LS Charley Hughlett, LB Patrick Johnson, RB Avery Williams
Seattle Seahawks
- Re-signed: WR Cody White
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: P Jack Browning
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: C Corey Levin
Washington Commanders
- Signed ERFA tender: RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/11/25
Here are today’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Buffalo Bills
- Re-signed: FB Reggie Gilliam
- Signed: RB Darrynton Evans
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: LS Scott Daly
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: P Bryan Anger
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: DT Myles Adams
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: S M.J. Stewart
- Signed: LB Nick Niemann
Indianapolis Colts
- Re-signed: C Wesley French
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Robert Tonyan, LB Cole Christiansen
Los Angeles Rams
- Suspended: WR Drake Stoops
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: LB Quinton Bell
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: WR/KR Dante Pettis
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: S Mike Brown
Washington Commanders
- Re-signed: RB Jeremy McNichols
Anger is a 13-year veteran who has spent the last four years in Dallas, which included Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors in 2021 and 2023. He will stay with the Cowboys on a two-year deal, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Tonyan had a few strong seasons in Green Bay earlier in his career, but he has struggled to produce over the last two years. He spent 2024 in Minnesota, but only played 15 snaps on offense with zero targets. He will add tight end depth in Kansas City.
Stoops received a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He will be eligible to participate in training camp and preseason games, but will be sidelined for the first two games of the regular season.
McNichols is staying in Washington on a one-year deal, according to Pelissero. The seven-year veteran appeared in 17 games for the Commanders in 2024 and rushed for 261 yards and four touchdowns on 55 attempts. McNichols will likely continue as Washington’s RB3 behind Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/7/23
Here are Tuesday’s minor transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on IR: CB Bobby Price
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed to active roster: LB Andre Smith
- Waived: LB Tae Davis
Carolina Panthers
- Signed to active roster: TE Jordan Matthews
- Placed on IR: LB Luiji Vilain, LB Chandler Wooten
Cleveland Browns
- Signed to active roster: T Geron Christian, WR James Proche
- Placed on IR: CB Cameron Mitchell
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Grayland Arnold
- Placed on IR: DT Hassan Ridgeway, S M.J. Stewart (story)
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: DT Cory Durden
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: DT Naquan Jones
Washington Commanders
- Signed off Eagles’ practice squad: G Julian Good-Jones
- Placed on IR: C Ricky Stromberg
Price finds his way to injured reserve with an undisclosed injury in order to make room for quarterback Kyler Murray, who was activated from IR this afternoon. Price spent time on IR last year with a knee injury before missing the first five games of this season, as well.
Vilain and Wooten join eight other defenders on IR as Carolina continues to deal with injury issues on that side of the ball. They recently added veteran pass rusher Justin Houston to the injured list but may soon get back linebacker Marquis Haynes after opening his 21-day practice window yesterday.
Texans Re-Sign DB M.J. Stewart
The Texans are bringing back a key special teamer. The team announced that they’ve re-signed defensive back M.J. Stewart. The 27-year-old is inking a two-year, $7.5MM deal, per Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston.com.
Stewart, a former second-round pick, had two-year stints with the Buccaneers and Browns before catching on with the Texans last offseason. He ended up getting into all 17 games for his new squad, compiling 41 tackles. Stewart also got into 84 percent of Houston’s special teams snaps.
It’s uncertain where Stewart will fit in the secondary heading into 2023. The Texans added Jimmie Ward on a two-year deal, and they’re also still rostering Jalen Pitre and Eric Murray. Either way, the Texans can expect Stewart to contribute on all ST plays.
Speaking of, Murray reworked his contract yesterday, per Wilson. The move provided the Texans with an extra $732K in cap space. The defensive back inked a two-year, $10MM contract with Houston last offseason.
Contract Details: Payne, Saints, Carter, Stewart, Pierce
Here are some details on contracts recently signed around the NFL:
- Daron Payne, DT (Commanders): Four-year, $90MM. The deal, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, creates around $9.43MM in cap space for Washington heading into free agency. Payne was set to enter the 2023 season with a cap hit of $18.94MM. The new extension applies a $28MM signing bonus spread over four years, along with a base salary in Year 1 of the deal of $2.51MM, to lower Payne’s cap hit to $9.51MM. The new move sets the Commanders up with over $20MM of cap space heading into the new league year.
- Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE (Saints): Two-year, $5MM. The deal, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, has a guaranteed amount of $2.5MM consisting of a $1.4MM signing bonus and Kpassagnon’s 2023 base salary of $1.1MM. The deal includes three voidable years for cap purposes leading to cap hits of $1.9MM in 2023, $3.3MM in 2024, and $1.786 of dead money in 2025.
- Juwan Johnson, TE (Saints): Two-year, $12MM. The extension, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, has a fully guaranteed amount of $11.51MM consisting of a $5MM signing bonus and both year’s base salaries of $1.01MM in 2023 and $5.5MM in 2024. The contract includes a 2024 roster bonus of $500,000 due on the 5th day of the 2024 league year. There are $2.5MM of incentives available to Johnson in this contract for receptions, yards, and All-Pro selections. Those incentives have escalators in 2024, as well. The deal includes three voidable years to spread out the cap hit.
- Lorenzo Carter, OLB (Falcons): Two-year, $9MM. The deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN, has a guaranteed amount of $4.25MM consisting of a $2MM signing bonus and $2.25MM of the first year’s base salary (worth a total of $3.25MM). The contract also includes an additional amount of $1MM available through incentives.
- M.J. Stewart, S (Texans): Two-year, $6MM. The deal, according to Wilson of KPRC 2, has a guaranteed amount of $3MM consisting of a $1.5MM signing bonus and the first year’s base salary of $1.5MM. The deal also includes potential incentives of up to $1.5MM including $750,000 of playtime incentives. The contract also includes a per game active roster bonus of $14,705 for a potential season total of $250,000.
- Michael Pierce, DT (Ravens): Restructure. The new deal for Pierce includes a new concept in Baltimore. Following the lead of other teams in the NFL, namely the Eagles, the Ravens incorporated voidable years in Pierce’s contract, a first for the franchise. In doing so, though, the team removed the 2024 season from Pierce’s deal, making him a free agent one year sooner than he would’ve been in his original contract.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/9/23
Today’s minor moves around the league:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: LB Joe Bachie, CB Jalen Davis (two year extension)
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: S M.J. Stewart
Las Vegas Raiders
- Re-signed: RB Ameer Abdullah, G Netane Muti
Miami Dolphins
- Signed to one-day contract: C Mike Pouncey
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: OL James Ferentz
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: OL Brett Toth
Stewart was a mainstay on the Texans’ special teams units in 2022, his debut season in Houston. His play has earned him a two-year, $6MM deal with a maximum value of $7.5MM, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 (Twitter link). The 27-year-old made 41 tackles (the second-highest total of his career) in 2022, adding a pair of fumble recoveries.
Pouncey signed a one-day contract to officially retire as a member of the Dolphins, the team which drafted him in 2011. The 33-year-old is two years removed from his joint retirement with brother Maurkice. Pouncey earned three of his Pro Bowl nods during his seven-year stint in Miami, before spending a pair of seasons with the Chargers. The former first rounder reflected on the controversy surrounding his career, via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.
“If I thought how I think now, I’d still be with the Dolphins,” he said. “I look back at it like… if I was just a little bit more mature when I was playing… I have no regret of what I did here. Very proud of my career that I had here. Now, I just try to be looked at in a different light.”
Ferentz’s new deal has a value of $1.215MM, and includes $200K in guarantees, per Wilson (on Twitter). Another $30K in incentives are in place, though the 33-year-old will only account for $1.02MM on the cap by qualifying for the veteran salary benefit. Ferentz has been in New England for the past five years, starting nine games amongst his 39 appearances.
Texans To Sign S M.J. Stewart
The Texans may have found their Justin Reid replacement. The team has signed safety M.J. Stewart to a one-year, $3MM deal (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network).
[RELATED: Texans To Re-Sign Maliek Collins]
Stewart, 26, was a second round pick of the Buccaneers in 2018. He only played two seasons in Tampa Bay, however, and was waived in August 2020. Injuries played a role in the decision to move on from the former Tar Heel, who had originally been drafted as a corner.
The Browns claimed Stewart off waivers, where he played in 29 games, including three starts. He totalled 69 tackles, two interceptions and seven passes defensed in Cleveland, while also seeing significant special teams duties. More notably, however, was the improvement he showed in pass coverage compared to his time in Tampa. Stewart had a career year in that regard in 2021; he allowed a completion percentage of 63%, and a passer rating of 84.7.
In large part due to his newfound effectiveness defending the pass, Stewart received an impressive PFF grade of 83.8. That outweighs Reid’s evaluation by a considerable margin, which gives this deal the potential to be one of the more valuable under-the-radar deals of the offseason. At a minimum, the Texans will have some experienced depth on the back end.