New England Patriots News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/18/25

Here are today’s minor moves and practice squad elevations as we head to the seventh Sunday of the regular season:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

As injured reserve activations start to dominate the headlines, a couple teams are making minor additions off their injured lists. In Homer, the Bears are getting a veteran special teamer and some running back depth. Monk adds depth to Green Bay’s offensive line. And Weston will do the same for a linebacking corps in New York that has seen rookie fifth-round pick Francisco Mauigoa starting in place of an injured Quincy Williams.

Ford in Chicago, Sewell in New Orleans, and Jacobs in Tennessee are all being called up as standard gameday practice squad elevations for the third time this year. In order to appear in any more games after this weekend, their respective teams will need to sign them to the 53-man roster.

Patriots Looking For Help At Cornerback

Surprisingly atop the AFC East at 4-2, the Patriots may buy before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. They’re looking for help at cornerback, Josina Anderson of The Exhibit reports.

After a second straight 4-13 finish, New England made it a point to upgrade at corner during a busy offseason. The Patriots signed former Buccaneer and Lion Carlton Davis to a three-year, $60MM contract in free agency. Davis has begun his Patriots tenure with six straight starts, and he easily leads their cornerbacks in snap share (92.4%).

The Patriots had to wait a little while to see Davis start alongside No. 1 corner Christian Gonzalez, who missed the first three weeks of the season with a hamstring injury. Since the 2024 second-team All-Pro debuted in Week 4, the Patriots have won three straight.

Along with Gonzalez and Davis on the outside, the Patriots boast a solid slot corner in Marcus Jones. The problem is that the team is lacking quality depth after that trio.

Having taken 144 defensive snaps this season, Alex Austin ranks in fourth in playing time among Pats CBs. However, on 12 targets this season, Austin has allowed 10 completions and a 143.7 passer rating. Pro Football Focus ranks Austin’s 2025 performance 104th among 107 qualifiers at his position. Aware of Austin’s struggles, head coach Mike Vrabel and his staff limited the defender to special teams duty in last week’s win over the Saints.

Charles Woods, a late-August waiver claim from the Rams, rounds out the Patriots’ CB group. Woods has totaled just 44 snaps this year, and a knee injury could keep him out of Sunday’s game against the Titans.

With the Patriots thin at corner, they rank 25th in the NFL in pass defense through six weeks. A significant injury to Gonzalez, Davis, or Jones could spell disaster for a team trying to end a three-year playoff drought and snap the Bills’ five-season run as division champions. While it’s not clear which corners the Patriots are pursuing, they’re in obvious need of improvement beyond their top three.

Patriots OC Josh McDaniels Downplays Future HC Interest

Josh McDaniels has served as an NFL head coach on two occasions. A third opportunity could arise depending on the success of his latest Patriots offensive coordinator stint, but that is not something receiving consideration at this time.

“I love living in New England,” McDaniels said when speaking to the media about any future head coaching aspirations (via MassLive’s Karen Guregian). “That’s the short of it. I just try to focus on now, I’m really enjoying coaching for [head coach] Mike [Vrabel], and the staff and the guys we have here in the organization. That would be surprising if I moved my kids out of Westwood.”

McDaniels has worked as the Patriots’ OC on three separate occasions during his career. The 49-year-old has also been the head coach of the Broncos and Raiders, although neither of those gigs went according to plan. With Denver in 2010 and then again with Vegas in 2023, McDaniels was fired midway through his second season in charge. Overall, his head coaching record sits at 20-33.

For the time being, McDaniels’ attention is focused on overseeing an offense which has made notable strides compared to last season. Central to that development, of course, is the progress shown by second-year quarterback Drake Maye. 2024’s third overall pick has increased his production across the board during his first campaign working under McDaniels. The Patriots sit at 4-2 on the year and rank 11th in the league in scoring with an average of 25 points per game.

If New England can maintain that level of production through the remainder of the season, a return to the playoffs could be in store. That would no doubt help McDaniels’ coaching stock, and it could leave him in a situation not unlike Kliff Kingsbury‘s last year. During his return to the NFL, Kingsbury helped guide Jayden Daniels and the Commanders’ offense to an impressive showing, leading to questions about a second attempt at head coaching duties. Kingsbury was linked to multiple openings, but the presence of Daniels helped inform his decision to remain in place.

Similarly, McDaniels could draw interest on the coaching market if his third Patriots stint continues on an encouraging path. His past shortcomings would give suitors plenty of pause, on the other hand, and it remains to be seen if he would seek out another chance to lead a coaching staff anyway. At this point, it appears as though that would not be the case.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/16/25

Today’s practice squad moves:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

New England Patriots

Patriots On Radar For RB Trade?

Considerable optimism about the Patriots’ rushing attack existed entering the season, as second-round rookie TreVeyon Henderson impressed consistently during the summer. But the Pats’ bounce-back start to the season has brought ground-game concerns.

New England leads the AFC East for the first time since December 2021, sitting 4-2 with a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bills. But the Pats’ rushing attack ranks 26th, increasing Drake Maye‘s degree of difficulty in what has been a promising start to his sophomore season. The Henderson-Rhamondre Stevenson tandem has not found much success, with the latter’s fumbling issues a hindrance for a second straight season.

Next Gen Stats’ rush yards over expected metric ranks both players in the bottom quartile among qualified RBs. This comes as Pro Football Focus ranks New England’s offensive line ninth through six games. Some buzz about the Pats being RB-curious ahead of the trade deadline has emerged, with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler indicating teams have a buyer’s move here on the radar.

Unlike last season, the Pats have not disciplined Stevenson for his fumbling issue. He bounced back from another giveaway to score twice in the Pats’ upset win over the Bills and leads the team with 157 rushing yards. Henderson is not far behind, at 148, with the two respectively logging 51 and 41 carries. Though, Stevenson has averaged a paltry 3.1 yards per rush; Henderson is at 3.6. The Patriots lost Antonio Gibson to a season-ending ACL tear in Buffalo.

One of the top RB trade chips, Breece Hall, is highly unlikely to be dealt within the AFC East. Another option, Alvin Kamara, has said he would contemplate retirement if traded out of New Orleans. Kamara being stuck on a rebuilding team does not seem to be an issue for a player who has signed two Saints extensions; his current deal (two years, $24.5MM) runs through 2026. Next year, though, does not include any guaranteed money. The Saints also have Kendre Miller as a successor, in the event Kamara is moved.

Would the Titans consider moving starter Tony Pollard as their rebuild takes shape post-Brian Callahan? Tennessee has been mentioned as a prepared seller, while Fowler colleague Dan Graziano predicts the Browns will trade Jerome Ford due to the arrivals of Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson in the draft. Ford is tied to a one-year, $1.75MM deal, though he would not be a clear upgrade over the Pats’ current coalition. Stevenson’s contract runs through 2028, and a $3.25MM guarantee is in place for 2026.

The Chargers and Chiefs have also surfaced as teams to watch for a running back move. Cap space is not an issue for the Pats, who hold an NFL-most $54.7MM (per OverTheCap) ahead of Week 7. They have nearly three weeks to further evaluate this situation, with this year’s deadline looming Nov. 4.

Patriots Sign S Richie Grant

Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins‘ hamstring injury may be worse than reports so far have shown. After missing last week’s game because of the injury, Hawkins did not participate in practice today, and in a move that may be linked to the situation, New England signed former Falcons starting safety Richie Grant, per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald.

Grant’s contract with the Patriots will reportedly be a practice squad deal, continuing a downward trend for the former second-round pick out of UCF. Grant served almost two years in Atlanta as a full-time starter following his rookie campaign. Late in 2023, though, he got passed up on the depth chart, and last year, he only started one game in the Falcons secondary.

As a free agent, Grant signed with the 49ers and even made the initial 53-man roster, but he was waived two days later. Once again a free agent, Grant was able to work out with the Colts in the days leading up to the regular season, but ultimately, no deal came along.

Hawkins has been part of a new-look defensive backstop for the Patriots this year. The team released Jabrill Peppers before the start of the season, and trade rumors had been surrounding Kyle Dugger for some time. Hawkins, a waiver claim during the 2024 season, and Craig Woodson, a fourth-round rookie who hails from the same alma mater as Hawkins, opened the season as the team’s starting safeties.

With Hawkins’ absence stretching into the early days of practice this week, there’s a chance New England pursued Grant because of his starting experience. Dugger struggled in last week’s start, second-year defender Dell Pettus has been working in a minimized box safety role this year, and Brenden Schooler is an All-Pro special teamer. Grant’s two years of starting experience may give him a shot at filling in until Hawkins can overcome his ailing hamstring.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/14/25

Today’s practice squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: G Karsen Barnhart, LB Garrett Nelson

Green Bay Packers

  • Released: K Mark McNamee

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: OT Bayron Matos, QB Brett Rypien
  • Released: OT Marcellus Johnson

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Signed: TE Marshall Lang
  • Released: DB Tyron Herring, TE Gee Scott Jr.

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

  • Released: G Tyler Cooper

With Anthony Richardson heading to injured reserve with an eye injury, the Colts are set to add some QB depth in veteran Brett Rypien, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The 29-year-old brings four games of starting experience to Indy, with his most recent start coming with the Rams in 2023. In total, Rypien has completed 58.3 percent of his career passes for 950 yards, four touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Riley Leonard will temporarily be the QB2 behind Daniel Jones, but there’s a chance Rypien eventually works his way up to the active roster.

The Chargers moved on from a notable edge defender today in Clelin Ferrell. The former Raiders first-round pick started all 17 games for the 49ers just two years ago, with the edge rusher finishing that campaign with 3.5 sacks and 13 QB hits. He started 10 of his 14 appearances with the Commanders in 2024, adding another 3.5 sacks to his resume. After being among Washington’s final preseason cuts, Ferrell caught on with the Chargers practice squad and ended up getting into one game with the big-league club.

The Eagles moved on from a pair of skill players today. Audric Estime was a fifth-round pick by the Broncos last year, with the running back compiling 337 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 81 touches. He was waived by Denver back in August and landed on Philly’s practice squad. Javon Baker was a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in last year’s draft, but he was limited to a single catch in 11 games.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/13/25

Here are the latest moves from around the NFL,including practice squad elevations for all four teams playing on Monday Night Football:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed off Ravens’ practice squad: S J.T. Gray

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

  • Waived: OL Isaac Alarcon

Washington Commanders

The Bears elevated Moody to kick in their Monday night matchup with the Commanders with Cairo Santos sidelined by a quad injury.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/11/25

Here are the minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations heading into the sixth Sunday of the NFL season:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Manu was ruled out for this week with a knee injury after making the first start of his career with Detroit. Unfortunately, he’ll miss the team’s next three games, as well, after being placed on injured reserve.

Wright will fill in as placekicker for the Titans in Week 6. Regular kicker Joey Slye has been ruled out with a calf injury after missing practice all week.

Avery in Cleveland and Walton in Carolina are both being called up as standard gameday practice squad elevations for the third time this year. If either of their respective teams want them to be active for another game, they will need to sign them to the 53-man roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/10/25

Today’s minor moves as we head into the sixth weekend of the regular season:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Tennessee Titans

Cardinals punter Blake Gillikin appeared on the injury report with a back injury in Week 2 but has been otherwise healthy without missing any game time throughout the season so far. Gillikin showed back up on Arizona’s injury report yesterday with his back ailing him once again. He didn’t participate in practice at all today, and it doesn’t look good for his chances on Sunday that the team signed O’Donnell.

Following the Colts’ signing of Michael Badgley on Tuesday, O’Donnell becomes the second veteran specialist out of Miami (FL) to get signed out of free agency this week. O’Donnell punted for the Bears for eight years after Chicago drafted him in the sixth-round in 2014. He spent one year after Chicago with the Packers but remained a free agent throughout the 2023 season. Last year, he got a similar call from the 49ers, who held on to him for eight games after Mitch Wishnowsky was sidelined for the second half of the season with a back injury.

O’Donnell won out in a punting competition with fellow free agents Jack Browning and Matt Haack.