Patriots Open Practice Window For LB Jahlani Tavai
Four games have passed and the flurry of teams preparing to bring back injured players continues. The Patriots have joined the fray, opening the 21-day practice window for linebacker Jahlani Tavai, per Chad Graff of The Athletic. 
Waived after only two years in Detroit, the former second-round pick out of Hawai’i has found a place in the NFL as far away from his alma mater as possible. After clearing waivers, Tavai signed to the Patriots’ practice squad. He was quickly signed to the team’s 53-man roster where he played in 13 games, mostly as a special teamer. Starting the 2022 season as a backup, Tavai found himself in the starting lineup by Week 5.
Partway through his first season as a starter for the Patriots, Tavai landed a two-year, $4.4MM extension. After finishing second on the team with 110 total tackles in his first full season as a starter, New England added another three-year extension for $15MM, and Tavai rewarded their faith by leading the team in tackles with 115.
So far this season, last year’s starter next to Tavai, Christian Elliss, has been starting next to offseason addition Robert Spillane, but Elliss has looked like a shell of himself, unable to maintain the product he was putting on the field in 2024. The Patriots will hope to bring Tavai back soon, at which point he will likely push Elliss into more of a rotational role as he reassumes his starting spot next to Spillane.
Tavai will have three weeks of practice activity to be activated from injured reserve. After suffering a calf injury at the opening of the season, Tavai has always been aiming for a Week 5 return, and today’s transaction will put him on track for it. On the off chance that Tavai is not able to be activated within the 21-day period, he will be reverted back to IR without the ability to be activated this season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/1/25
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Jermar Jefferson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: G LaDarius Henderson
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Nick Whiteside
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: T Bobby Hart
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Caleb Johnson
New York Jets
- Signed: OLB Tomon Fox
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: OLB Antwaun Powell-Ryland
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Myles Gaskin
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR Robbie Chosen
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/1/25
Here are the first minor transactions of October:
Detroit Lions
- Signed from practice squad: S Loren Strickland, LB Ty Summers
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed from practice squad: S Trey Washington
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed from practice squad: T Foster Sarell
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on IR: WR Tyreek Hill (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed off waivers (from Packers): T Brant Banks
Washington Commanders
- Signed from practice squad: CB Antonio Hamilton
- Placed on IR: DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste (story)
Domestic Battery Charge Dropped Against Dolphins OLBs Coach Ryan Crow
In late August, Dolphins outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow was arrested on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge. He was subsequently placed on administrative leave by the team.
That charge was dropped on Wednesday, as first reported by Fox Sports 640’s Andy Slater. While that news will bring an end to the legal side of this situation, there is still an NFL investigation pending. As such, no change has taken place with respect to Crow’s status with the Dolphins.
Head coach Mike McDaniel said (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques) Crow remains on administrative leave at this time. No changes on that front will take place until the league’s probe has concluded. Sean Ryan began the year handling OLBs coach duties, and that will presumably continue moving forward.
Prior to today’s news, Grethel Aguila of the Miami Herald detailed specifics of the alleged incident. The 9-1-1 call demonstrated how witnesses saw Crow “choking and slamming” a woman he lives with in the building of their Fort Lauderdale apartment. According to the police report, Crow stopped once he realized people could see the altercation. The alleged victim told police she was not injured and declined to provide a sworn statement.
Under Ryan’s coaching, the Dolphins have amassed just eight sacks through four games this season. Improving in that regard will be a goal as the team looks to take needed steps forward after a 1-3 start to the campaign. As Miami seeks an increase in production along the edge, it remains to be seen if Crow will continue in the organization after the NFL’s investigation wraps up.
Cowboys Open Practice Windows For Jonathan Mingo, Caelen Carson
The Cowboys have gone without wide receiver Jonathan Mingo and cornerback Caelen Carson all season, but that may not be the case for much longer. The team opened both players’ 21-day practice windows on Wednesday, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.
Mingo sprained the PCL in his right knee in August, forcing him to start his first full season in Dallas on injured reserve. The Panthers invested a high selection on Mingo in 2023, taking the former Mississippi receiver 39th overall. Mingo underwhelmed in a Panthers uniform, though, and the team elected to send him and a seventh-round selection to the Cowboys for a fourth-rounder before last November’s trade deadline.
After joining the Cowboys, Mingo played in eight games and failed to establish himself with a change of scenery, catching a mere five of 16 targets for 46 yards. Between the Panthers and Cowboys, he appeared in 17 games last season and secured just 17 of his 42 targets for 167 yards and no scores.
If Mingo plays this year, he should be low on a Dallas WR depth chart that possesses an enviable one-two punch in CeeDee Lamb (currently injured) and George Pickens. Fellow receivers KaVontae Turpin and Jalen Tolbert have combined for 21 catches, meanwhile, and tight end Jake Ferguson has already made 34 receptions during the team’s 1-2-1 start.
Carson, out since hyperextending his knee in July, has endured an injury-marred career so far. The 2024 fifth-rounder from Wake Forest only made six appearances (five starts) as a rookie before going on IR with a shoulder ailment that required surgery. The Carson-less Cowboys have opened this season dead last in the NFL against the pass, having surrendered 297.3 yards per game. Although Carson remains largely unproven at the pro level, the Cowboys will happily welcome him back as a reinforcement if he proves healthy enough for activation.
Because the Cowboys designated Mingo as an IR-return player in August, he already counts toward their eight-activation limit in-season. Carson, however, landed on IR after Dallas set its initial 53-man roster. He will not count toward the Cowboys’ activation total until the team moves him back onto its 53-man roster.
Panthers Place G Chandler Zavala, WR David Moore On IR
The Panthers’ offensive line is already shorthanded with Robert Hunt and Austin Corbett set for lengthy absences. The unit will be missing another notable contributor for the time being. 
Guard Chandler Zavala was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, per a team announcement. The 2023 fourth-rounder took over from Hunt in Week 2 after he went down. For each of the past two games, Zavala handled starting duties at the right guard spot. With Hunt likely to miss most of the season’s remainder, that setup was set to continue for the foreseeable future.
Instead, Carolina’s offensive line plans will need to change once more. Zavala – who is dealing with a knee injury – is now set to miss at least the next four weeks. The 26-year-old’s absence will deal another blow to a Carolina offense which has battled inconsistency in 2025. It will also mark the second of Zavala’s three NFL seasons in which he has missed time.
The Panthers have also placed depth receiver David Moore on IR. The veteran has what head coach Dave Canales termed a “significant” elbow dislocation (h/t Joe Person of The Athletic). A lengthy recovery timeline is expected in this case, and Moore is set to be sidelined longer than Zavala. Carolina’s receiving corps will move forward without a regular presence (albeit one with only one reception to date) in the fold for a notable stretch.
In need of healthy O-line options, Carolina also announced today that Jake Curhan has been signed off the Cardinals’ practice squad. The former UDFA has made 40 appearances and 11 starts in his career, but he has yet to see any playing time on offense so far with Arizona. That could soon change given this change of scenery.
The 1-3 Panthers will host a Dolphins team sporting the same record in Week 5. Carolina’s efforts to rebound from a poor start to the season will include an offense featuring even fewer available contributors, though.
Titans Open Tyjae Spears’ Practice Window
The Titans designated running back Tyjae Spears to return to practice on Wednesday, according to Jim Wyatt of the team’s website. They’ll have 21 days to activate Spears from injured reserve after opening his practice window.
Spears has been unavailable at the outset of his third season after succumbing to a high ankle sprain in August. The 24-year-old previously missed five games in 2024 with multiple injuries. Since the Titans took him in the third round of the 2023 draft, the former Tulane star has appeared in 29 games and rushed for 765 yards on 184 attempts (4.2 YPC), adding six touchdowns on the ground. He has also been a useful option in the passing game, having racked up 82 catches for 609 yards and two scores.
If he returns this year, Spears should again work behind starter Tony Pollard, who’s seeking his fourth straight 1,000-yard campaign. Pollard’s on pace to achieve that feat, having amassed 265 yards on 68 carries, though he has averaged a career-low 3.8 per rush.
Unfortunately for the Spears-less Titans, they haven’t found a viable backup to Pollard during an 0-4 start. That’s among the reasons they’ve tallied the league’s fourth-fewest rushing yards. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, ranks second on the team with just nine rushing attempts. Fourth-year RB Julius Chestnut has recorded a paltry five carries for 28 yards, while rookie sixth-rounder Kalel Mullings didn’t play an offensive snap in either of his first two games before landing on injured reserve last week.
Because the Titans applied a summer return designation on Spears upon setting their initial 53-man roster, he already counts toward their eight regular-season activations. Seven remain for the winless team.
Lions Place D.J. Reed On IR
The Lions will have to go at least the next four games without starting cornerback D.J. Reed. The team placed Reed on injured reserve on Wednesday. While Reed will not require surgery on his strained hamstring (via Eric Woodyard of ESPN), he won’t be eligible to return until Nov. 9 against the Commanders.
Considering Reed was carted off the field in the Lions’ win over the Browns last Sunday, his IR placement doesn’t come as a surprise. Nevertheless, it’s an unwelcome development for Detroit, which added the former Seahawk, 49er, and Jet on a three-year, $48MM contract in free agency last March. Injury aside, the investment has looked good so far.
During his first four games as a Lion, Reed played over 88 percent of defensive snaps and helped the team to a 3-1 start. Along with leading all Lions corners in playing time, Reed posted 16 tackles, four passes defensed, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Pro Football Focus ranks his early season performance 28th among 164 qualifying corners.
Before Reed went down, the Lions had been set to reduce fellow outside corner Terrion Arnold‘s usage. Arnold then joined Reed in suffering an injury last week, though he was able to practice on a limited basis Wednesday despite a shoulder issue (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). Arnold, Amik Robertson, Khalil Dorsey, and Rock Ya-Sin will now have to pick up the slack in Reed’s absence.
The Lions’ schedule over the next few weeks looks like a mixed bag. Their Reed-less secondary will take on Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning on Sunday, but they’ll have to contend with the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield in the two weeks after that. After a bye, the Lions will face the division-rival Vikings and either J.J. McCarthy or Carson Wentz on Nov. 2.
49ers QB Brock Purdy Out For Week 5
OCTOBER 1: Purdy has been ruled out for tomorrow’s game (h/t Ian Rapoport of NFL Network). As a result, it will be Jones handling QB1 duties once again when the 49ers visit the Rams.
SEPTEMBER 30: After missing two games with turf toe, Brock Purdy managed to return to action in Week 4. The 49ers may once again be without their starting quarterback on Thursday, however. 
Purdy did not miss any time in Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars. The injured toe was not an issue during the game. Shortly after the contest, though, Purdy informed head coach Kyle Shanahan he had begun to experience soreness. With the 49ers on a short week, this situation will be worth watching closely.
“Anytime guys are sore and hurting on a Monday, you usually don’t stress too much about it,” Shanahan said, via Matt Barrows of The Athletic (subscription required). “But any time you have a Thursday game, it’s a totally different element. So yeah, I’m concerned with anybody who’s not totally healthy at this moment, but we’ll have to get more information on that… to really kind of have a clue of what to speculate.”
San Francisco did not practice on Monday given the team’s upcoming Thursday night contest against the Rams. On the team’s estimated practice report, Purdy was listed as a non-participant. The 49ers will conduct a walkthrough today as preparation, and it will be interesting to see if he able to take part. Even if that is not the case, the 25-year-old could of course still manage to suit up on Thursday. At this point, Purdy is considered questionable.
“We will take every precaution to make sure Brock’s alright,” general manager John Lynch said during an appearance on KNBR radio this morning (via Barrows). “I think he is.”
Purdy – who inked a five-year, $265MM extension this spring – has totaled 586 passing yards so far this season while throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions in each of his starts. In the event the 2023 Pro Bowler is once again forced to miss time, Mac Jones will return to the lineup. Jones has won each of his starts while posting a 4:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. With a game against the 3-1 Rams upcoming, San Francisco’s quarterback situation will again be something to monitor.
Ravens To Sign CB Amani Oruwariye
In need of help at the cornerback spot, the Ravens are adding a veteran ahead of their Week 5 game. A deal has been reached with Amani Oruwariye, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. 
Baltimore lost Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins during Sunday’s loss against the Chiefs. It remains unclear at this point if Wiggins will be available for Week 5, but Humphrey is expected to miss multiple games. With free agent addition Jaire Alexander having only played one game so far, it comes as no surprise Baltimore has targeted a signing for depth in the secondary.
Oruwariye has made 61 appearances in the NFL, with 40 of those being starts. The 29-year-old played out his rookie contract with the Lions before seeing time with the Jaguars in 2023 and then the Cowboys last season. His resume includes six interceptions with Detroit in 2021, but since then Oruwariye has not been able to remain a full-time starter or duplicate his past production.
In May, the former fifth-rounder joined the Titans. Oruwariye was among Tennessee’s roster cuts at the end of training camp, but he immediately re-joined the team by taking a spot on the practice roster. Days later, however, the Titans removed him from their taxi squad. Oruwariye remained a free agent through the first month of the campaign, but he has now landed a new opportunity in Baltimore.
If the Ravens are to proceed without Humphrey, Wiggins or Alexander this week, they will rely on a number of backup options at the cornerback spot. Chidobe Awuzie and T.J. Tampa could see a notable workload against Houston, but Oruwariye could handle a small workload as well if he finds himself in the lineup right away. With that said, the Penn State product does not have a track record of heavy usage on special teams.
Baltimore entered Wednesday as a team in need of help at multiple spots on defense. The Ravens currently have $7.61MM in cap space, and adding Oruwariye will lower that figure to a degree. If needed, though, he could turn into a regular defensive presence for a low cost while the rest of the secondary heals.