NFL Minor Transactions: 12/16/25

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

  • Signed off Colts’ practice squad: LB Chad Muma

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

A steady presence in Arizona a couple years ago, Fotu started four of six game appearances for the Raiders this year. The occasional starts were not indicative of his true usage, though, as he hasn’t gotten consistent time on the field for Las Vegas in 2025. The Raiders will move on from the veteran as they shift focus in a lost season towards evaluating young talent with more gametime.

As a practice squad elevation this weekend, Jordan became the first Texans running back to eclipse the century mark in a game this year. Houston wasted little time in returning him to the active roster

Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order

Sunday’s action provided more clarity on a number of fronts relating to the playoff pushes in each conference. The list of teams still in contention for the top pick in the 2026 draft remains long, however.

Week 15 saw the Broncos and Rams clinch a postseason berth. Meanwhile, the Chiefs, Bengals and Vikings have each officially been eliminated from the playoffs. They will join the group of teams turning their attention to offseason planning. That of course includes extensive evaluation of the top prospects in this year’s class; several have already turned pro (with some exceptions).

Sunday’s results mean there are nine teams with two, three or four wins. Each of them remain candidates to secure the No. 1 selection, although victories by the Saints and Commanders yesterday will greatly hinder their chances of moving to the top of the order. Jockeying amongst teams like the Raiders, Jets and Cardinals (each on track to pursue a new quarterback this spring) will be a storyline worth following closely down the stretch.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.

Here is an updated look at the first-round order:

  1. New York Giants (2-12)
  2. Las Vegas Raiders (2-12)
  3. Tennessee Titans (2-12)
  4. Cleveland Browns (3-11)
  5. New York Jets (3-11)
  6. Arizona Cardinals (3-11)
  7. New Orleans Saints (4-10)
  8. Washington Commanders (4-10)
  9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-10)
  10. Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
  11. Miami Dolphins (6-8)
  12. Kansas City Chiefs (6-8)
  13. Minnesota Vikings (6-8)
  14. Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1)
  15. Baltimore Ravens (7-7)
  16. Carolina Panthers (7-7)
  17. Detroit Lions (8-6)
  18. New York Jets (via Colts)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6)
  21. Philadelphia Eagles (9-5)
  22. Houston Texans (9-5)
  23. Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
  24. Buffalo Bills (10-4)
  25. Chicago Bears (10-4)
  26. Los Angeles Chargers (10-4)
  27. San Francisco 49ers (10-4)
  28. Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
  29. New England Patriots (11-3)
  30. Seattle Seahawks (11-3)
  31. Los Angeles Rams (11-3)
  32. Denver Broncos (12-2)

NFL Minor Transactions: 12/15/25

Today’s minor moves:

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

Jamari Thrash is already back on Cleveland’s active roster after getting waived the other day. The former fifth-round pick has only seen time in a single game since the beginning of November. Before that, he tallied 10 receptions for 107 yards.

In other receiver news, Marquez Valdes-Scantling made his way to the active roster for tonight’s game against the Dolphins. The veteran got into 16 offensive snaps during his Steelers debut in Week 14. Before that, he hauled in four catches for 40 yards in five appearances for the 49ers.

NFL Minor Transactions: 12/13/25

Here are today’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations for Week 15’s Sunday slate of games:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Nichols began the year on the reserve/PUP list. The eight-year veteran has been hampered by injuries since signing with the Cardinals in 2024. After playing just six games last year, Nichols’ 2025 campaign will end after only four appearances.

Bryant makes his return to the Texans’ offense to replenish a thinned out tight ends group, while in Seattle, the Seahawks place their second-round rookie tight end, Arroyo, on injured reserve with a knee injury.

In Buffalo, this will be Jackson’s third and final standard gameday practice squad elevation. If the team wants to see him in another game this season, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster. The same is true for Strong in Green Bay, Jackson and Mafi in Las Vegas, Smyth in New Orleans, Sam in Philadelphia, and Jones in Seattle.

On the flip side of that, in Denver, Turner has been signed to the 53-man roster after running out of elevations last week.

Thomas suffered a shoulder injury in Week 14 and it will end his season. The third-round rookie confirmed on social media today he is set to undergo surgery in the near future. Thomas made five starts in 2025, totaling 22 tackles and seven pass deflections.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/10/25

Today’s NFL practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

Gipson is changing clubs for the third time this season after getting claimed off waivers by the Giants for the second time this year. After starting the season with the Jets and getting cut after a crucial fumble in Week 1, Gipson found his way across town to the other New York team. The Giants waived him after about two and a half weeks, and he was claimed by Philadelphia. His stint with the Eagles has been his longest with any team this year, but he’ll return to the Giants after getting waived once again.

Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order

Week 14’s action brought about a few notable updates to the standings at both ends of the NFL’s conferences. Another four teams are officially out of playoff contention, while wins by Tennessee and New Orleans could prove to be rather important once the campaign has ended.

The Jets, Browns, Falcons and Commanders were eliminated from the postseason through the results of recent days. Of course, each of those teams have been out of the running for a playoff push for some time now. Still, that group will be worth watching closely over the closing four weeks of the season as the top-10 order for Day 1 of the draft gradually comes into focus.

Uncertainty regarding the quarterback class of 2026 will no doubt remain a talking point over the coming months. Fernando Mendoza strengthened his case to be QB1 in April’s draft, although it remains to be seen if other top signal-callers like Dante Moore and Ty Simpson will turn pro or elect to remain in school for one more season. Decisions on those fronts will be central storylines carrying significant implications for the teams near the top of the order which find themselves in need of a quarterback investment.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.

Here is an updated look at the first-round order:

  1. New York Giants (2-11)
  2. Las Vegas Raiders (2-11)
  3. Tennessee Titans (2-11)
  4. Cleveland Browns (3-10)
  5. New Orleans Saints (3-10)
  6. Washington Commanders (3-10)
  7. New York Jets (3-10)
  8. Arizona Cardinals (3-10)
  9. Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
  10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-9)
  11. Minnesota Vikings (5-8)
  12. Miami Dolphins (6-7)
  13. Baltimore Ravens (6-7)
  14. Kansas City Chiefs (6-7)
  15. Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1)
  16. Carolina Panthers (7-6)
  17. Detroit Lions (8-5)
  18. New York Jets (via Colts)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6)
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)
  21. Philadelphia Eagles (8-5)
  22. Houston Texans (8-5)
  23. Chicago Bears (9-4)
  24. Buffalo Bills (9-4)
  25. Los Angeles Chargers (9-4)
  26. San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
  27. Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
  28. Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
  29. Seattle Seahawks (10-3)
  30. New England Patriots (11-2)
  31. Los Angeles Rams (10-3)
  32. Denver Broncos (11-2)

Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order

Week 12 saw the Giants become the first team in the NFL to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Based on Sunday’s results, another two teams from each conference saw their postseason chances officially come to an end.

The Titans, Saints, Raiders and Cardinals have now been eliminated as well. Attention in the case of those teams will increasingly turn toward the offseason. For some, questions about changes at the quarterback spot will be ongoing through the spring. Free agency is not expected to include many notable options, so the draft will be sought out in several instances as a means of finding a 2026 starter.

Of course, the incoming class of passers has largely underwhelmed this season. That has led to uncertainty regarding the ceiling for many of the top prospects at the quarterback position. Nevertheless, supply often outweighs demand at the top of the Day 1 order in the NFL draft. How things shake out over the closing weeks of the season will be key in determining which QB-needy teams find themselves in the best position to select a new QB1.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.

Here is an early look at the first-round order:

  1. Tennessee Titans (1-11)
  2. New York Giants (2-11)
  3. New Orleans Saints (2-10)
  4. Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)
  5. Cleveland Browns (3-9)
  6. Washington Commanders (3-9)
  7. New York Jets (3-9)
  8. Arizona Cardinals (3-9)
  9. Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
  10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
  11. Minnesota Vikings (4-8)
  12. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
  13. Kansas City Chiefs (6-6)
  14. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6)
  15. Carolina Panthers (7-6)
  16. Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1)
  17. Detroit Lions (7-5)
  18. Houston Texans (7-5)
  19. Baltimore Ravens (6-6)
  20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)
  21. Buffalo Bills (8-4)
  22. Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)
  23. New York Jets (via Colts)
  24. San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
  25. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
  26. Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
  27. Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
  28. Seattle Seahawks (9-3)
  29. Los Angeles Rams (9-3)
  30. Denver Broncos (10-2)
  31. Chicago Bears (9-3)
  32. New England Patriots (11-2)

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/1/25

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

New York Giants

The Lions continue to work through their tight end depth with Sam LaPorta done for the season. The team’s first move today was claiming Hayden Rucci, who was waived by the Dolphins on Saturday. A former UDFA out of Wisconsin, Rucci spent much of the 2024 and 2025 campaigns in Miami. He got into four games with the organization this season, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams.

The Lions also welcomed Shane Zylstra back to practice today. The tight end has been out since Week 2, when he suffered an ankle injury while blocking on a punt return. The veteran has gotten into 31 games with the Lions since the 2021 season, hauling in 15 catches for 116 yards and four touchdowns.

Otherwise, the Lions placed center Frank Ragnow back on the reserve/retired list after the veteran failed his physical.

Patriots WR Stefon Diggs Has Played Through Fractured Finger

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs‘ first season in New England has gone swimmingly. The four-time Pro Bowler has emerged as quarterback Drake Maye‘s favorite target during a surprising 10-2 start for the Patriots, winners of nine in a row and currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

The Patriots’ decision to sign Diggs to a three-year, $69MM deal last March came after an injury-shortened campaign with the Texans. Playing his lone season in Houston, the former Viking and Bill tore his ACL in Week 8 and didn’t return.

Diggs recovered quickly enough to return for Week 1 this season, and his knee hasn’t hampered him at all during New England’s scorching start. The 32-year-old has appeared in all 12 of the Patriots’ games and piled up 61 catches on 75 targets, 679 yards, and three scores.

While Diggs’ knee hasn’t been a problem this year, that doesn’t mean he’s at full strength. A few days before the Patriots’ win over the Bengals last Sunday, Diggs told reporters that he has been playing through a fractured finger for a couple of weeks (via Mike Reiss of ESPN). That seems like a concerning injury for a pass catcher, but Diggs downplayed the severity.

“Least of my worries,” Diggs said. 

Diggs had one of his quietest games of the year in Cincinnati, which held him to two catches for 20 yards on three targets. He and the Patriots’ other main receivers (Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, and Demario Douglas) largely took a backseat to tight end Hunter Henry, who led the way with seven grabs, 115 yards, and a score.

Looking to put together a 10-game winning streak for the first time since the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era, the Patriots will head into a Week 13 meeting with the Giants on Monday. The Pats have a bye after that, which will give Diggs’ finger extra time to heal as he and the team push for a division title and the top spot in the conference.

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