Minor NFL Transactions: 10/21/25
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived from IR: WR Cade McDonald
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed from practice squad: CB Kevin Knowles
- Placed on IR: DT Omarr Norman-Lott
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: RB Velus Jones
New York Giants
- Signed off Jets’ practice squad: CB Korie Black
Washington Commanders
- Signed: DE Jalyn Holmes
The Commanders turned to a familiar face to replace DoranceArmstrong, who is done for the season after suffering a knee injury this past weekend. Washington cut Jalyn Holmes just the other day to make room for guard Sam Cosmi on the active roster, but he quickly found his way back to the active roster. The defensive end has seen time in four games this season, and he collected a pair of sacks in 11 appearances with the franchise in 2024.
Dolphins TE Darren Waller Week To Week With Pectoral Strain
The Dolphins received some rare good news yesterday. After exiting Sunday’s loss to the Browns, tight end Darren Waller was diagnosed with a strained pectoral muscle, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The injury is not expected to require surgery, and the veteran is considered “week to week at this point.”
Waller exited Sunday’s contest before halftime and was later ruled questionable to return. Considering how the Dolphins season has gone so far (including a season-ending injury to WR1 Tyreek Hill), fans were surely anticipating the worst. Instead, it sounds like Waller’s absence should only be temporary.
After sitting out the 2024 season, Waller came out of retirement to join the Dolphins (via trade with the Giants) ahead of the 2025 campaign. After making his debut in Week 4, the veteran tight end immediately emerged as one of Tua Tagovailoa‘s preferred red zone targets. Through his first three games with his new squad, Waller hauled in four touchdowns, a number that is still tied third at his position.
Waller got into more than half of his team’s snaps in Week 5 and Week 6, so the Dolphins will have to find a solution to soak up some of those reps. The easiest option is to revert back to their TE grouping from the beginning of the season, when Julian Hill garnered a handful of additional snaps over Tanner Conner.
If Waller is destined for injured reserve, the team will likely turn to one of their practice squad tight ends for additional depth. The current options for that TE3 role are Hayden Rucci and Greg Dulcich.
Broncos LB Dre Greenlaw Suspended One Game
OCTOBER 21: Greenlaw’s suspension has been upheld on appeal, per NFL Senior VP of Football & International Communications Michael Signora. The Broncos linebacker will officially be sitting out Sunday’s matchup with the Cowboys.
OCTOBER 20: Dre Greenlaw has been hit with a one-game ban. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Broncos linebacker has been suspended one game without pay for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Per the NFL’s release (via Josina Anderson), Greenlaw “chased after referee Brad Allen and verbally threatened him as he tried to leave the field.” The league cited Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1(b), which prohibits “the use of abusive, threatening or insulting language or gestures to opponents, teammates, officials, or representatives of the League.” It’s uncertain what sparked Greenlaw’s outburst, but NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo suspects it may have stemmed from the pass-interference penalty on a previous drive that ultimately got head coach Sean Payton flagged for arguing.
Garafolo notes that Greenlaw has three days to appeal his suspension. If it’s upheld, the linebacker will be forced to miss this Sunday’s matchup with the Cowboys.
It’s not ideal timing for the veteran, who was just making his Broncos debut after sitting out the first month-plus of the season while recovering from a quad injury. He ended up getting into about a quarter of his team’s defensive snaps yesterday, finishing with six total tackles and a QB hit. Greenlaw joined the Broncos on a three-year, $35MM deal after spending the first six seasons of his career with the 49ers. Injuries wiped out his 2021 and 2024 seasons, but he compiled a total of 247 tackles between 2022 and 2023.
Alex Singleton has yet to miss a defensive snap for the Broncos this season and will continue anchoring the linebackers room, but the team will have to get a bit creative with Greenlaw out for Week 8. Justin Strnad stepped up while his teammate was sidelined with an injury, and the former fifth-round pick will likely continue seeing a healthy dose of snaps against Dallas. Rookie Que Robinson has also seen an uptick in playing time since making his NFL debut in Week 6.
Chargers Sign LS Rick Lovato To Active Roster
Rick Lovato is back on the Chargers active roster. The team announced that they’ve signed the long snapper to their 53-man squad.
The veteran actually hasn’t missed a game for the Chargers this season. He caught on with the team’s practice squad in late August as he filled in for an injured Josh Harris. He got a single promotion before earning an actual roster spot ahead of Week 2.
However, Lovato’s future in Los Angeles seemed to temporarily be in doubt after the team suddenly released him last week. This was presumably a way of opening a roster spot, with Lovato still sticking around the organization via his second practice squad pact. With the roster shuffling presumably finished, Lovato is once again a member of the 53, and he’ll likely keep the gig until Harris is ready to return from his undisclosed injury.
Lovato found a home in Philadelphia for nearly a decade, as the long snapper didn’t miss a game for the Eagles between 2017 and 2024. During that time, the Old Dominion product earned a pair of Super Bowl rings and a Pro Bowl nod in 2019. He had the distinction of being one of four Eagles to be rostered for both Super Bowl LII and Super Bowl LIX (along with Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson, and Jake Elliott).
Eagles Approached Brandon Graham About Return Before Signing Za’Darius Smith
Brandon Graham seemed to shock nobody when he re-joined the Eagles following a very brief retirement. There were some pundits who assumed the Za’Darius Smith‘s sudden retirement accelerated Philly’s pursuit of their franchise leader in games played. While that was likely partly true, Graham revealed to NFL Network’s Good Morning Football that the Eagles actually approached him about a reunion before Smith even signed.
[RELATED: Brandon Graham Re-Signs With Eagles]
“[I] just wasn’t ready at the time,” Smith said (via NFL Media on X). “I wasn’t as confident as I am now because I didn’t think that opportunity would come for real.”
Smith inked a one-year, $9MM deal with the Eagles in early September and was expected to replace Graham’s leadership and pass-rush prowess. However, the free agent acquisition decided to call it a career after only five games with his new squad, at which time the front office approached Graham again. This time, the franchise legend was ready.
Graham left the door open for a potential return immediately following his retirement, and the veteran admitted he “got that itch” to continue playing after attending a training camp practice. It took more than a month for the actual deal to come to fruition, but as expected, Graham will soon be lining up on the edge for the Eagles defense.
While the Eagles added some much-needed pass-rush help to a defense that’s tallied only 11 sacks this season, they may not be done. Even before they added Graham, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the front office was sniffing around for some cornerback depth.
Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell have accounted for the majority of the team’s snaps at cornerback this season, with Adoree’ JacksonandKelee Ringo also taking on some leftover reps. Pro Football Focus has DeJean graded as the league’s eight-best cornerback this season, while Mitchell ranks 38th among 112 qualifiers. However, both Jackson and Ringo rank towards the bottom of the position in those same metrics, so the team is logically in the market for some reinforcement.
DeJean has seen the majority of his snaps as a slot CB this season, while Jackson and Ringo have mostly played out wide. DeJean’s versatility means the team doesn’t necessarily have to settle on an outside CB, but that would be the presumed target as they inch towards the trade deadline.
Russini also noted that the Eagles were seeking some help on the edge, although her report came out before news of Graham’s signing. For what it’s worth, Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com hinted last night that the Eagles weren’t done adding to the position, even with Graham back on the roster.
Cowboys Activate WR Jonathan Mingo From IR
Cowboys wide receiver Jonathan Mingo is finally in line to make his 2025 debut. The team activated Mingo from IR on Tuesday, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.
Mingo sprained his right PCL in August, forcing him to miss the Cowboys’ first seven games. The Cowboys opened Mingo’s 21-day practice window back on Oct. 1, meaning they were running out of time to activate him.
While the Panthers used the 39th overall pick on Mingo in the 2023 draft, the former Mississippi standout has yet to establish himself in the NFL. After he caught just 55 passes in 24 games as a Panther, they dealt him and a seventh-round selection to the Cowboys for a fourth-rounder before last November’s trade deadline. Mingo went on to catch a mere five of 16 targets for 46 yards in his first eight games with the Cowboys.
Now that he’s back, Mingo will have his first opportunity to play with quarterback Dak Prescott on Sunday against Denver. A hamstring injury shelved Prescott for 10 games last season and kept him out past mid-October, preventing him and Mingo from developing a rapport.
A healthy Prescott and the receiver duo of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens have helped lead the Cowboys’ offense to elite rankings in yards (first) and points (second) during a 3-3-1 start this season. Executive vice president Stephen Jones expects Mingo to give the Cowboys’ potent attack yet another weapon.
“That receiving room has gotten pretty spicy, so he’s going to have to get in there,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan (via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk). “He’s got an element to his game that we don’t have — rare size and speed, and he’s a physical player, and he’ll be one to get on the field.”
To make room for Mingo, the Cowboys placed offensive lineman Trevor Keegan on IR with a neck injury. A late-August waiver claim from the Eagles, Keegan has played in two games this year and totaled 18 snaps (12 on special teams, six on offense).
Raiders’ Jakobi Meyers Still Seeking Trade
Before the season, Jakobi Meyers requested a trade after his push for an extension did not result in a new deal. While Meyers rescinded the trade ask soon after and began his third Raiders season, teams have still shown interest in the veteran starter.
With the Raiders freefalling — a putrid showing in Kansas City the latest poor effort from Las Vegas — they have become more open to moving Meyers in his contract year. Offering a candid take on the situation Tuesday, Meyers said (via ESPN.com’s Ryan McFadden) he still welcomes a change of scenery.
Meyers said “for sure” when asked if he wants to be traded. He remains tied to a three-year, $33MM deal authorized during Josh McDaniels‘ second and final offseason running the show. Entering the season as Las Vegas’ No. 1 receiver, Meyers wanted an update from a deal that pays him less than the going rate for that role. Meyers is the NFL’s 34th-highest-paid receiver.
The former Patriots UDFA, added during Tom Brady‘s final year with the franchise, has done well on his free agency deal. After Allen Lazard (Jets) and JuJu Smith-Schuster disappointed on their eight-figure-per-year accords from the 2023 class, Meyers posted an 807-yard ’23 showing and managed one of the NFL’s quieter 1,000-yard years in 2024.
As the Raiders sank to 4-13 with Aidan O’Connell as their primary triggerman, Meyers and Brock Bowers excelled. While Brady is now a minority Raiders owner, the team’s lack of a post-2025 commitment — amid a disappointing start to the Pete Carroll–John Spytek regime — this summer would stand to make Meyers a clear trade target before the November 4 deadline.
An acquiring team would be on the hook for a somewhat pricey number on its cap. Meyers is on a $10.5MM base salary; a trade suitor would be responsible for more than $6.1MM. That number would drop closer to $5MM if the Raiders wait until the deadline to move on, but it is also likely interested clubs would ask the team to eat some salary in a swap. This would fetch the Raiders a better draft pick, in theory, but they balked at such a strategy with Hunter Renfrow‘s two-year, $32MM deal in 2023. Granted, that came just before Mark Davis fired McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler. The Jets also took on all of Davante Adams‘ money upon acquiring him last year. It is unclear how the Brady-Spytek pair will proceed.
Meyers also missed the Raiders’ Week 7 loss due to knee and toe issues. He has played in every other Vegas game this season, totaling 29 receptions for 329 yards. Provided these injuries are minor and he would be recovered soon, the soon-to-be 29-year-old pass catcher would improve a few contenders’ receiving situations in a trade. An acquiring team would hold exclusive Meyers negotiating rights until March 2026; he would then be free to speak with other teams as a free agent.
Raiders Not Considering Major Changes
The Raiders have stumbled to a 2-5 start in the first year of the Pete Carroll–John Spytek era. Their last two losses, including a 31-0 shutout at the hands of the division rival Chiefs in Week 7, have come by a combined 65 points. While owner Mark Davis is displeased with the team’s results, he’s unsurprisingly not ready to pull the plug on either Carroll or Spytek (via Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal).
“You have to have faith in the people that you hired. And I do,” Davis said. “You’ve got to give them a chance to do the job.”
Notably, Davis hasn’t shown much faith in his head coaching hires in recent years. Since Jon Gruden‘s second run with the franchise came to an end during the 2021 season, four other head coaches have patrolled the sideline.
Although Rich Bisaccia guided the Raiders to a 7-5 record and a playoff berth in the wake of Gruden’s resignation, his time with the organization ended after a wild-card round loss to the Bengals. The Raiders then turned to Josh McDaniels, who went 9-16 before the Raiders gave him the ax in 2023. Interim choice Antonio Pierce took the team to a 5-4 finish as McDaniels’ replacement, leading to a promotion to the full-time post. However, on the heels of a 4-13 showing last year, they dismissed Pierce.
After the Raiders let go of Pierce and GM Tom Telesco, new minority owner Tom Brady joined Davis in taking on a key role in the franchise’s search for replacements. Spytek’s previous ties to Brady from their overlapping tenures with the University of Michigan and the Buccaneers helped him land the job as Telesco’s successor. Ben Johnson, then the Lions’ offensive coordinator and now the Bears’ head coach, was considered a strong candidate to take over for Pierce. Johnson picked the Bears, though the Raiders were not believed to have made Johnson an offer before handing the reins to Carroll.
While Carroll is the oldest head coach in NFL history (at 74), he’s also easily the Raiders’ most established hire since Gruden. He was eminently successful in his previous stop in Seattle, and Carroll’s role in Geno Smith‘s late-career breakthrough with the Seahawks helped lead the quarterback to Las Vegas. The Raiders traded for Smith and then extended him during the offseason, but those decisions look regrettable so far.
Over his first seven games as a Raider, Smith has thrown seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions en route to the league’s 30th-ranked QBR. He struggled enough in Kansas City that the Raiders benched him for Kenny Pickett. That move didn’t provide a spark during a listless showing in which the team mustered just 95 total yards.
While the Raiders are now on a bye, it’ll be a surprise if they don’t continue with Smith when they face the Jaguars in Week 9. Just as the Raiders are exercising patience with Carroll and Spytek, they’re likely to do the same with Smith. It’ll help Smith’s cause if injured tight end Brock Bowers, who has missed three straight games with a knee injury, returns in Week 9.
Saints C Erik McCoy Suffers Biceps Tear
OCTOBER 21: McCoy and Kendre Miller are now on IR, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Miller suffered an ACL tear in a rather damaging game for the Saints’ offense.
OCTOBER 20: The Saints’ offensive line will be shorthanded for the remainder of the season. Center Erik McCoy suffered a biceps tear yesterday, and will miss the rest of the campaign as a result. 
McCoy exited Sunday’s game, and head coach Kellen Moore stated his “concern” about the possibility of a major recovery timeline being needed (h/t ESPN’s Katherine Terrell). The ailment is indeed season-ending, as first reported by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. This marks another campaign brought to an abrupt end in McCoy’s case.
The two-time Pro Bowler managed to avoid major injuries during his first five years in the NFL. In 2024, however, McCoy found himself in and out of the lineup as a result of a groin injury suffered early in the campaign. That year, he was limited to just seven contests. That figure will wind up being duplicated in 2025, and as such New Orleans’ offensive line will be notably shorthanded.
McCoy was one of several veterans whose deals were (as usual) restructured this past offseason. The 28-year-old is under contract through 2027, with roster bonuses due in March for each of the next two league years. How the Saints proceed with him will depend in part on the success of McCoy’s recovery efforts. For now, the 1-6 team will look to find a suitable setup along the O-line with quarterback Spencer Rattler continuing in his first full season as a starter.
The Saints have made several investments at the offensive tackle spots during recent drafts. Doing so has not been necessary at center for several years, though, given McCoy’s status as a full-time starter since arriving in 2019. Right guard Cesar Ruiz has seen time at center in the past, and shifting him to that spot is a move which will no doubt receive consideration to close out the campaign.
New Orleans ranks near the bottom of the league in several offensive categories this year. Rattler has flashed potential at times, but losing McCoy will hinder the Saints as the they look to continue developing over the final weeks of the season.
Giants Cut K Jude McAtamney
After a poor showing in a 33-32 loss to the Broncos on Sunday, the Giants have cut kicker Jude McAtamney, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports. He will head to waivers.
Because the Northern Ireland native has an international exemption, he could return to the Giants’ practice squad without taking up a roster spot. However, it’s unclear if the team will retain him, according to Dunleavy.
With Graham Gano once again needing an injury fill-in (after sustaining a groin injury during a warmup for Big Blue’s Week 3 game), the Giants turned to their practice squad stash. McAtamney has kicked in four games for the Giants this season; these assignments have been quite light on field goal tries. The international signing has only attempted two field goals this season, making both, though neither was beyond 40 yards. Close-range kicks became an issue Sunday.
McAtamney missed two extra points during the Giants’ collapse in Denver, the second of which coming in the final minute. The second miss allowed the Broncos to attempt a game-winning field goal in the final seconds, and Wil Lutz made the walk-off try to sink the visitors in one of the most stunning comebacks in NFL history. McAtamney also missed a PAT in the Giants’ win over the Eagles; he is 9-for-12 on the season.
Teams up by 18 points in the final six minutes of a game had won 1,602 straight games; this became the exception, with the Broncos’ 33-point fourth quarter erasing a 26-8 deficit midway through the stanza. No staff firings have followed this crushing loss, but the Giants will have a new kicker in Week 8. Being placed on IR before Week 4, Gano is eligible for activation from IR. It is unclear if the veteran kicker — a frequently unavailable option in New York — will be ready to go, though. The Giants have Younghoe Koo, whom the Falcons released earlier this season, on their practice squad. He would be the next man up barring another addition.
It is interesting the Giants opted for McAtamney over Koo, given the latter’s experience, but he has been on the team since being signed as part of its 2024 UDFA class. The ex-Irish Gaelic footballer kicked in one game for the Giants last season, making a field goal and a PAT without a miss. But his career may be at a crossroads already after the Sunday debacle.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.