Minor NFL Transactions: 12/6/25
Here are the minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations for the Week 14 Sunday slate:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to active roster: LB Channing Tindall
- Elevated: WR Jalen Brooks, WR Trent Sherfield
- Placed on IR: WR Greg Dortch
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed to active roster: WR Deven Thompkins
- Elevated: CB C.J. Henderson
- Placed on IR: S DeMarcco Hellams
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: S Sanoussi Kane, DT Josh Tupou
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: DE Morgan Fox, LB Baylon Spector
Chicago Bears
- Signed to active roster: OL Jordan McFadden
- Elevated: LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
- Waived: LB Carl Jones Jr.
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: DE K.J. Henry
Denver Broncos
- Signed to active roster: TE Marcedes Lewis
- Elevated: LB Jordan Turner
- Waived: LB Garret Wallow
Houston Texans
- Elevated: CB Alijah Huzzie, DT Haggai Ndubuisi
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed to active roster: S Mike Edwards
- Elevated: G C.J. Hanson
- Placed on IR: S Christian Roland-Wallace
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: WR Shedrick Jackson, WR DJ Turner
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: OL Kion Smith
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed to active roster: QB John Wolford
- Elevated: CB Dwight McGlothern Jr., DT Taki Taimani
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: WR Kevin Austin, K Charlie Smyth
New York Jets
- Signed to active roster: QB Brady Cook, CB Jordan Clark
- Elevated: CB Tre Brown, CB Nik Needham
- Placed on IR: CB Jarvis Brownlee, LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: T Dylan Cook, WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: RB Velus Jones
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: S Marcus Banks
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: DE DeMarcus Walker
Dort becomes Arizona’s 26th placement on injures reserve this year. The Cardinals’ receiving corps has been stretched thin with Marvin Harrison Jr. out with a heel injury and Zay Jones on injured reserve with an injured Achilles tendon.
Earning more and more responsibility over the course of his sophomore campaign, former undrafted free agent Roland-Wallace will unfortunately head to IR after starting in the Chiefs’ two most recent contests. As a roaming safety, he’s been functioning lately as a nickelback alongside the versatile pair of starting safeties behind him.
With Bosa set to miss this weekend’s game with a hamstring injury, Fox has been called up from the practice squad in Buffalo to help bolster a thin group of defensive ends.
Smyth gets the call again this week as the primary placekicker in New Orleans. He’ll be kicking in his second straight game following the team’s dismissal of Blake Grupe.
For Spector in Buffalo, this will be his third elevation this season, meaning the Bills will need to sign him to the active roster in order for him to appear in another game in 2025. The same is true of Turner in Denver, Hanson in Kansas City, and Banks in Tampa Bay. On the other side of that, Tindall in Arizona, Lewis in Jacksonville, and Cook in New York were all signed to 53-man rosters today after they used up their three allotted practice squad elevations.
Jets Add CB Nik Needham To Practice Squad
The Jets have added some veteran depth to their secondary. The team announced that they’ve signed defensive back Nik Needham to the practice squad. To make room, the team released kicker Harrison Mevis.
Needham burst onto the scene as an UDFA with the Dolphins in 2019, when he collected 54 tackles, 11 passes defensed, and a pair of picks. He settled into more of a part-time role in 2020 and 2021, although he still hauled in another four picks between those two seasons.
The defensive back started five of the first six games for Miami in 2022 before a torn Achilles ended his season early. When he returned in 2023, he was relegated to a bottom-of-the-depth-chart role, and he got into only a pair of games in 2024 while spending most of the campaign on the practice squad. Needham joined the Browns this past offseason before getting cut at the end of the preseason.
Michael Carter suffered a shoulder injury on Sunday that could put his Week 3 status in doubt, so Needham provides the organization with some extra veteran depth. Rookie third-round pick Azareye’h Thomas and 2024 fifth-round pick Qwan’tez Stiggers would likely get the first shot to soak up any leftover CB snaps.
The Jets weren’t finished. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the team also worked out veteran cornerback Arthur Maulet. The veteran spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons in New York, starting 11 of his 23 appearances.
Browns Make 19 Roster Cuts
The first of the Browns’ 53-man roster moves came to light this afternoon with the release of veterans Tyler Huntley and Tony Brown. Cleveland then made the following 19 cuts, per a team announcement:
Released:
Waived:
- CB Chigozie Anusiem
- TE Sal Canella
- G Javion Cohen
- T Sebastian Gutierrez
- DE K.J. Henry
- DT Ralph Holley
- CB Christian Holmes
- CB Keenan Isaac
- T Jason Ivey
- DE Titus Le
- LB Marvin Moody
- CB Darius Rush
- LB Charlie Thomas
- T Lorenzo Thompson
- G Dartanyan Tinsley
- TE Mitchell Van Vooren
- C Bucky Williams
Barton started two games at right tackle for the Cardinals in 2024, but he couldn’t win a backup job in Cleveland this summer. Needham, who appeared in 63 games for the Dolphins over the last six years, similarly had a shot at a nickel role in the Browns defense, but the team opted to keep their younger cornerbacks instead. The two veterans are free to sign with any team, while the other 17 cuts will be subject to waivers.
Among them are Henry and Rush, two 2023 fifth-rounders who made their way to Cleveland this offseason after failing to catch on with their original clubs. Henry started three games for the Commanders as a rookie, but was waived under Washington’s new regime last August. He spent time with the Bengals and the Cowboys before landing with the Eagles in November and finishing the season as a Super Bowl champion. Rush was a fringe third-round pick in 2023 but fell to the Colts on Day 3. He didn’t make the 53-man roster as a rookie and bounced between Kansas City and Pittsburgh across his first two seasons with five regular-season appearances for the Steelers.
Browns Sign CB Nik Needham
Nik Needham will not need to wait until after the draft to find his next deal. The veteran cornerback signed with the Browns on Monday, per a team announcement.
Needham saw his role and playing time fluctuate over the course of his time in Miami. The former UDFA handled a snap share of 89% in 2019 and 78% in 2022. In between, he served as a key (but less involved) figure in the Dolphins’ secondary. The past two seasons played out much differently, however.
After playing on an RFA tender in 2022, Needham saw sparse usage on defense and special teams the following year. The 28-year-old remained in Miami for last season, but he was among the Dolphins’ final roster cuts. Needham was quickly retained on the practice squad and he made a pair of appearances in 2024. His departure will not make as much of an impact as it would have earlier in his career, but losing Needham nevertheless represents another member of the secondary which is no longer in place for Miami (like Kendall Fuller,who was released) or who could soon be on the move (in the case of trade candidate Jalen Ramsey).
Needham has seen time at outside corner, in the slot and (on occasion) as a box safety. He could therefore compete for a number of roles in a backup capacity upon arrival with the Browns. Cleveland still has Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson and Greg Newsome under contract at corner, with the same being true of safety Grant Delpit. Rodney McLeod played a key role last season, but he is expected to retire and has therefore not been re-signed. Safety represents a need ahead of the draft, and the signing of Needham – whose 2022 campaign was ended by an Achilles tear – will not affect the team’s plans at that spot.
The Browns entered Monday with just over $19MM in cap space. Much of that figure will need to be devoted to signing the team’s incoming rookie class, but Needham will give Cleveland a low-cost option in the secondary regardless of how the draft shakes out.
Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa Out For Week 17
DECEMBER 29: Tagovailoa is indeed among Miami’s inactives for Sunday’s game. Huntley will get the nod as the Dolphins look to keep their playoff hopes alive.
DECEMBER 28: The Dolphins have downgraded quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to doubtful for their Week 17 matchup with the Browns, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. If he is unable to play, Tyler Huntley would make his fourth start of the season.
Tagovailoa suffered a hip injury in Week 15, but finished the game and played 100% of Miami’s offensive snaps in Week 16. The fifth-year quarterback wants to continue to play through the injury, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, but his mobility and athleticism are limited. Tagovailoa had surgery on the same hip when he was in college, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, but his current injury is affecting a different area.
The 2020 first-round pick downplayed the injury during a press conference on Thursday (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques):”I mean it’s good. It’s just like anyone else on the team and anyone else around the league. You get banged up little bit towards the ending of the year so just got to take care of that.”
Since Thursday, though, Tagovailoa has been trending down. Along with ruling him doubtful, the Dolphins elevated Skylar Thompson from the practice squad for Sunday’s game, another indication that Tagovailoa is unlikely to play.
An absence this weekend would be Tagovailoa’s fifth this season after a four-week IR stint after his Week 2 concussion. Miami has to beat Cleveland to keep their playoff hopes alive; a loss would all but eliminate them from postseason contention.
The Dolphins also promoted wide receiver Erik Ezukanma to the active roster, placed cornerback Kendall Fuller on injured reserve, and elevated cornerback Nik Needham from the practice squad, per a team announcement.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/19/24
Today’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad callups:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed to active roster: DT T.J. Smith
- Elevated: OLB Shaq Lawson, LB Shaquille Quarterman
- Waived: C Andrew Raym
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: WR Jaelon Darden
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: DL Pat O’Connor
- Elevated: DE Isaac Ukwu, TE Shane Zylstra
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: FB Andrew Beck
Houston Texans
- Activated from reserve/suspended list: DE Denico Autry
- Elevated: FB Troy Hairston, CB Desmond King
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: LB Liam Anderson, CB Kelvin Joseph
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: WR Alex Bachman
- Elevated: TE Justin Shorter, WR Kristian Wilkerson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: S Tony Jefferson
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: CB Ahkello Witherspoon
Miami Dolphins
- Signed to active roster: QB Tim Boyle
- Elevated: CB Nik Needham, LS Matt Overton
- Placed on reserve/NFI list: LS Blake Ferguson
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed to active roster: TE Robert Tonyan
- Waived: WR Trishton Jackson
- Elevated: DE Jalen Redmond, OLB Bo Richter
New England Patriots
- Elevated: LB Ochaun Mathis
New York Jets
- Signed to active roster: TE Anthony Firkser
- Elevated: S Jalen Mills, CB Kendall Sheffield
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from reserve/PUP list: S Sydney Brown
- Elevated: OL Jack Driscoll
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed to active roster: LB Adetokunbo Ogundeji
- Elevated: WR Brandon Johnson, RB Jonathan Ward
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: K Anders Carlson, S Jaylen Mahoney
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: CB Faion Hicks, CB Josh Jobe
Autry was hit with a six-game PED suspension in July, leaving the Texans without a key figure along the defensive line. The free agent pickup could have suited up by means of Houston using his one-week roster exemption; instead, he has been activated in time for Week 7. Autry, 34, posted a career-high 11 sacks last season and he will look to make an immediate impact during his Texans debut. Especially with Mario Edwards having been issued a four-game suspension of his own earlier this week, he should have a notable role right away.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/5/24
Saturday’s gameday elevations and other minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: OL Charlie Heck, K Chad Ryland
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: RB Chris Collier, OLB Yannick Ngakoue
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: WR Tyrell Shavers, DT Branson Deen
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: LB Thomas Incoom, DT T.J. Smith
- Placed on IR: LB Shaq Thompson (story)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: CB Jalen Davis
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed to active roster: LB Nick Vigil
- Elevated: DE Carl Lawson, CB Amani Oruwariye
Denver Broncos
Green Bay Packers
- Signed to active roster: CB Robert Rochell
- Elevated: FB Andrew Beck
Houston Texans
- Elevated: RB J.J. Taylor
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: RB Evan Hull, CB David Long
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: LB Tanner Muse, S Matthew Jackson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: DE K’Lavon Chaisson
- Placed on IR: LB Luke Masterson
- Elevated: RB Sincere McCormick, WR Alex Bachman
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: WR Xavier Smith, CB Ahkello Witherspoon
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: CB Nik Needham
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: RB Myles Gaskin, S Bobby McCain
New England Patriots
- Signed to active roster: DT Jaquelin Roy
- Elevated: OL Bryan Hudson, LB Ochaun Mathis
New York Giants
- Activated from IR: LB Matt Adams
- Waived: LB Benton Whitley
- Elevated: WR Isaiah Hodgins, RB Dante Miller
New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from IR: OLB Jeremiah Moon
- Elevated: WR Brandon Johnson, RB Jonathan Ward
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from IR: DT Kalia Davis
- Elevated: DL T.Y. McGill, WR Trent Taylor
Washington Commanders
- Activated from IR: QB Marcus Mariota
- Elevated: CB Kevon Seymour, WR Brycen Tremayne
Mariota returned to practice on Wednesday, which was the earliest point at which he could be designated for return. As a result, it comes as little surprise he has been brought back onto Washington’s active roster. The 30-year-old is in his first season with the Commanders, and today’s move paves the way for him to handle backup duties moving forward.
Ngakoue remained on the free agent market into the start of the regular season. He was not connected to a Ravens reunion, but one took place last week. The journeyman sack artist had a brief spell with Baltimore in 2020, and he posted three sacks in 11 games. Ngakoue, 29, had one-and done campaigns in Vegas, Indianapolis and Chicago before taking a Ravens practice squad deal. He will make his debut tomorrow and aim to provide depth along the edge.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC East
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 Bills, Dolphins, Jets and Patriots moves are noted below.
Buffalo Bills
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- RB Frank Gore Jr., WR Deon Cain, WR KJ Hamler, WR Tyrell Shavers, TE Zach Davidson, OL Richard Gouraige, OL Will Clapp, OL Mike Edwards, DE Kingsley Jonathan, DE Kameron Cline, DT Eli Ankou, DT Branson Deen, CB Daequan Hardy, CB Te’Cory Couch, S Kareem Jackson
Miami Dolphins
Released:
Claimed:
- WR Grant Dubose
Signed to practice squad:
- S Jordan Colbert, WR Erik Ezukanma, DT Jonathan Harris, OL Chasen Hines, LB Dequan Jackson, CB Isaiah Johnson, T Bayron Matos, RB Anthony McFarland Jr., CB Nik Needham, TE Hayden Rucci.
New England Patriots
Signed:
Claimed:
- LB Curtis Jacobs, T Demontrey Jacobs, DT Eric Johnson, T Zachary Thomas
Released:
- DT Trysten Hill, OL Michael Jordan, WR Jalen Reagor
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- T Liam Fornadel, RB Kevin Harris, RB Terrell Jennings, WR Matt Landers, DE Jotham Russell, DB A.J. Thomas, TE Mitchell Wilcox
New York Jets
Signed:
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- LB Sam Eguavoen, OL Obinna Eze, TE Anthony Firkser, OL Jake Hanson, DL Bruce Hector, DL Jalyn Holmes, S Jaylen Key, TE Zack Kuntz, OL Kohl Levao, QB Adrian Martinez, LB Marcelino McCary-Ball, WR Lance McCutcheon, S Jarius Monroe, CB Kendall Sheffield, WR Brandon Smith, CB Tre Swilling, RB Xazavian Valladay
Dolphins Reduce Roster To 53 Players
After two-straight Wild Card Round losses, the Dolphins are hoping to take another step forward in 2024. The team started prepping for a crucial campaign today, as they set their 53-man roster by making the following moves:
Released:
- LB Curtis Bolton
- LS Blake Ferguson
- DT Neville Gallimore
- DT Jonathan Harris
- DT Isaiah Mack
- RB Anthony McFarland Jr.
- CB Nik Needham
Waived:
- LB David Anenih
- WR Je’Quan Burton
- S Jordan Colbert
- DT Robert Cooper
- WR Erik Ezukanma
- WR Mike Harley Jr.
- OL Chasen Hines
- RB Zander Horvath
- LB Dequan Jackson
- WR Jadon Janke
- CB Isaiah Johnson
- OL Matthew Jones
- CB Jason Maitre
- OT Bayron Matos
- WR Kyric McGowan
- DT Leonard Payne
- S Mark Perry
- TE Hayden Rucci
Waived/injured:
- RB Chris Brooks
- OT Ryan Hayes
- WR Braylon Sanders
Placed on IR:
- WR River Cracraft (designated for return)
- LB Wyatt Ray
- CB Cam Smith (designated for return)
Placed on reserve/PUP list:
- WR Odell Beckham Jr. (story)
- LB Bradley Chubb (story)
- LB Cameron Goode
- OL Isaiah Wynn (story)
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the expectation is that long snapper Blake Ferguson will end up re-upping with the Dolphins, with his release solely being for roster machinations. The former sixth-round pick has spent his entire career in Miami, with the special teamer appearing in 67 games.
Nik Needham‘s stay in Miami has come to an end after five seasons. The former UDFA started 27 of his 61 appearances with the organization, although the majority of his production came in his first three seasons with the Dolphins. Between 2019 and 2021, the defensive back hauled in six interceptions, but after returning from a 2022 season-ending injury, he only got into 71 defensive snaps in 2023.
There was some hope that Neville Gallimore could provide the Dolphins with some defensive line depth when he caught on with the organization. The former third-round pick never clicked in Dallas, but he still got into 52 games in his four years with the organization. He collected four sacks and nine QB hits over the span, and he twice managed to top 400 defensive snaps in a campaign.
CB Nik Needham Re-Signs With Dolphins
The Dolphins are bringing back a key depth piece in their defensive backfield for another year, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Nik Needham, a five-year veteran in Miami, has been a crucial backup who can contribute at both cornerback and safety.
Needham joined the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent out of UTEP in 2019. After failing to make the initial 53-man roster as a rookie and signing to the practice squad, Needham was elevated, due to an injury to starter Xavien Howards, and proceeded to start 11 of his 12 appearances for the rest of the year. As a surprise undrafted rookie starter, Needham recorded two interceptions and 11 passes defensed.
Needham was a spot starter over the next two seasons, figuring generously into the defensive rotation at cornerback. He continued a tradition of two interceptions and one sack per year in each of those seasons, upping his career total for passes defensed to 23.
In 2022, Needham was forced back into a starting role after starting cornerback Byron Jones sat out the year with an Achilles injury. Unfortunately, Needham suffered an Achilles tear of his own and was only able to appear in six games before spending the rest of the season on injured reserve.
After playing out his initial entry level deal, Needham was given an exclusive-rights free agent tender for 2021 and a restricted free agent tender in 2022. He signed a one-year, $2MM deal a year ago but found his role severely reduced after coming back from injury. Howard and Kader Kohou, another undrafted addition to the team, started most every game last year, while Jalen Ramsey contributed as a full-time starter after coming back from injury in Week 8 and Eli Apple started games here and there, as well. Needham filled in as a fifth corner behind those four but was limited even more due to his prior injury.
Apple heads to free agency at the conclusion of his one-year deal, so perhaps Needham will slide back into the role Apple played in 2023. Regardless, a 2021 season that proved he could be a productive contributor all over the defense has made Needham a valuable asset to retain. He’ll get another chance to carve out his role in the defense in 2024.