Today’s midweek practice squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
Houston Texans
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions:
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Broughton, the third-round rookie out of Texas, is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a hip injury, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The team sought multiple opinions on the injury and was unsure about whether or not surgery would be necessary, but the “significant” hip issue will shut him down for the year.
Green rejoins the reigning champs, once again. It’s been a rollercoaster of employment for the 24-year-old guard, who failed to make the initial 53-man roster in Philadelphia, signed to the practice squad, was promoted back to the active roster, and then was waived two days after the team’s season opener.
Loudermilk had been working as a starter for the first time in his five-year career, but he will miss at least the next four games with a high ankle sprain. Leal, a 2022 third-round pick out of Texas A&M, has disappointed in his first three years of play. After moving to more of an outside linebacker role this summer, Leal failed to make the initial 53-man roster but was retained to the practice squad. He’ll take Loudermilk’s spot on the active roster for the time being.
Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Watson has been sidelined indefinitely with a calf muscle and Achilles injury. The tendon is not torn, so it may not be season-ending, and Watson could return at some point down the line. Luckily, the receiving corps is set to return some reinforcements as head coach DeMeco Ryans announced that both Christian Kirk and Braxton Berrios are expected to be back in Week 3. Wilson also reports that tight end Cade Stover had successful surgery recently for his broken foot.
The Patriots are trading second-year wideout Ja’Lynn Polk and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Saints for a 2027 sixth-round pick, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Polk suffered a shoulder injury during the preseason and was placed on season-ending injured reserve during final roster cuts. He still won’t suit up this year, so New Orleans is betting on his ability to recover and live up to his draft billing in 2026 and beyond.
The Saints were interested in Polk during the 2024 draft, per Jeff Duncan and Luke Johnson of The Times-Picayune, but he was taken by the Patriots at No. 37, four picks before New Orleans was on the clock. (The Saints ended up using their second-rounder on cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.)
The 23-year-old disappointed as a rookie, reeling in only 12 of his 37 targets for 87 yards and two touchdowns. He was thought to be on the roster bubble entering training camp after New England revamped their receiver room this offseason. His shoulder surgery pre-empted a release, but the Patriots still found a way to move on when the Saints came calling.
Per OverTheCap, the Patriots trading Polk will leave $2.9MM in dead money, which can be spread across the team’s 2025 and 2026 salary caps. That assumes that the Saints pick up the entirety of his remaining salary, worth just under $5MM over the next three years. 2025 and 2026 are fully guaranteed, while $637k of Polk’s $2.11MM salary in 2027 is guaranteed.
In terms of both finances and draft capital, acquiring Polk is a low-cost move by the Saints, though it does not come without risk. The first two year of his NFL career have essentially been a wash, and he’ll be coming off shoulder surgery entering his third.
Polk is now the second receiver from the 2024 draft class that New Orleans has added in the last month. In August, they sent two Day 3 picks to the Broncos in exchange for former seventh-round pick Devaughn Vele. Neither move seems to be about upgrading their offense this year. Instead, they’re further indicators – along with the team’s plan to start Spencer Rattler for as long as possible – that the team has finally decided to undergo a rebuild, per Nick Underhill of New Orleans.Football.
The Patriots, meanwhile, have jettisoned yet another player from their 2024 draft class under new head coach Mike Vrabel. First-round quarterback Drake Maye and third-round offensive lineman Caedan Wallace are the only remaining selections on the roster, (h/t Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald). While Maye seems to be the future of the team, Wallace spent part of his rookie year on IR and could only carve out a backup guard role entering this season.
Here’s are today’s minor transactions and standard gameday practice squad elevations:
Arizona Cardinals
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
With one quarterback on the reserve/non-football injury list and starter Brock Purdy inactive, Martinez comes up with the potential to appear in his first ever NFL game, though Niners fans hope his presence will not be necessary.
Bell will be active for tomorrow’s game as the Seahawks work to replace second-round rookie Nick Emmanwori in the secondary. Emmanwori has been ruled out with an ankle injury. Similarly, Wallow will be part of the Broncos’ efforts to fill in for injured linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who has been ruled out for the second week in a row.
Shortly before the Saints’ regular season started, Spencer Rattler won the competition for the starting quarterback position. The second-year passer narrowly edged rookie Tyler Shough for the gig.
Rattler took over from an injured Derek Carr last season. He lost all seven of his starts upon doing so, leading to questions about his upside at the NFL level. The former fifth-rounder nevertheless appears to have a long leash atop the depth chart under new head coach Kellen Moore. The Saints are not expected to replace Rattler quickly, according to Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline, and will instead “give him as much opportunity as possible until he proves incapable of handling the starting spot.”
Rattler seemed to clear that relatively low bar in Week 1. His official stat line was unspectacular – 26 completions on 47 attempts (56.7%) for 214 yards – but his 77.3 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked 12th among all quarterbacks in Week 1. Crucially, he didn’t turn the ball over and only took one sack on 14 pressures. The Saints will be hoping that Rattler can improve over the course of the season, but they seem more interested in establishing a solid floor for their offense rather than boosting its ceiling.
New Orleans’ willingness to stick with Rattler may also betray their plans for the future. Despite drafting Shough (and giving him a fully guaranteed rookie contract) this offseason, the Saints are “already playing for next year’s draft,” per Pauline. Players were surprised that the team didn’t pursue a veteran quarterback to stabilize their offense before the season and remain unsold on Moore’s vision for the future.
Those are further indications that the team was not prepared for Carr’s retirement and may be punting on the 2025 season to build for the future. Given the Saints’ annual battle with the salary cap, accepting a reset year or two to straighten out their finances and quarterback situation might be the best path forward.
As for Shough, he can still develop as a rookie and push to start in 2026, especially if the Saints can’t land their desired quarterback prospect in the draft. Obviously, getting on the field this year would give him a better shot at securing a long-term starting job. Even if that doesn’t work out, his $2.7MM APY isn’t a bad price for a backup quarterback.
Here are today’s mid-week minor NFL transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers
Blount will reportedly be on injured reserve for the remainder of the season after Sunday’s neck injury. After colliding with a ball carrier at the same time as rookie linebacker Cody Simon, who suffered a concussion, Blount was seen in a neck brace after the game.
After Jets head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters that “players who made costly mistakes would not stay on the field,” per Brian Costello of the New York Post, Gipson has been waived from the team. In a close loss to the Steelers, Gipson coughed up a costly fumble. Williams will come up from Cincinnati, and his experience as a return man may hint at how New York might address the loss of Gipson.
The Steelers see two key backups hit injured reserve as they make room for Jabrill Peppers and Pierre. Harrison followed Patrick Queen this offseason as the second linebacker to make the move from rival Baltimore in as many seasons, but he didn’t have an established role on the Steelers defense yet. Thompson joins rookie sixth-round pick Will Howard on IR. Practice squad passer Logan Woodside now stands as QB3 behind Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph.
Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Today’s practice squad transactions are highlighted by the release of a veteran running back. Nyheim Hines has been looking to revive his career since he missed the 2023 season thanks to a leg injury sustained in a jet ski collision. Since he was released by the Bills after that campaign, he’s spent time with the Browns and Chargers without getting into a game. A former fourth-round pick, Hines had four productive seasons with the Colts to begin his career, including a 2020 campaign where he compiled 862 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns.
Today’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
Jacksonville Jaguars
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tre Hawkins was waived/injured at the end of the preseason and reverted to IR, meaning he wouldn’t be able to play during the 2025 campaign. After agreeing to an injury settlement today, he’ll now have an opportunity to take the field elsewhere. The former sixth-round pick started three of his 17 appearances as a rookie, but he was limited to only three games in 2024 thanks in part to a season-ending fractured lumbar spine injury.
The Saints restuctured Taysom Hill‘s contract before the regular season, according to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell.
The eight-year veteran is coming off a torn ACL that ended his 2024 season and was placed on the physically unable to perform list during roster cut-downs.
The move was not a traditional restructure that converted base salary into a prorated signing bonus. Instead, $6MM of Hill’s 2025 salary was converted into per-game roster bonuses. Since he started the regular season on the PUP list, he can receive $500K per game for up to 12 games.
The Saints saved about $3.6MM with Hill’s restructured deal, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football. It will still void on the last day of the 2025 league year, making him a free agent after the season.
New Orleans is already over the 2026 salary cap with only 43 players under contract due to their aggressive use of traditional restructures and void years. As a result, re-signing Hill may not be a priority, especially if the team’s new coaching staff wants to move in a different direction on offense. However, Hill’s age (35) and recent injuries will limit his market in free agency. He which may allow the Saints to retain their longtime gadget player on an inexpensive deal.
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Free Agency
Cowboys defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey will now be out through the month of September after landing on IR today. Winfrey has been dealing with a back injury that forced him to miss the season opener. The 25-year-old joined the Cowboys back in June following a successful showing in the UFL.
Free agent defensive back Kemon Hall has been hit with a three-game ban, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby. The suspension would go into effect once the player joins a team. The 2019 UDFA most recently spent the preseason with the Cowboys. He was among the team’s final cuts and subsequently landed on their practice squad, but he was released days later. The 28-year-old has appeared in 24 career games.