HEADLINES

Texans Waive RB Dameon Pierce

November 20th, 2025 at 4:27pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Texans waived fourth-year running back Dameon Pierce on Thursday, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. To fill his spot on the active roster, cornerback Ajani Carter was signed from the practice squad.

Pierce, 25, once seemed like he could be the future of the Texans’ backfield before injuries derailed his time in Houston. The former Florida Gator was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 draft and earned a starting job as a rookie. Pierce racked up 939 yards in 13 games – 72.2 yards per game, the eighth-most in the league – before a high ankle sprain landed him on injured reserve and ended his season.

The Texans signed veteran Devin Singletary during the 2023 offseason and handed him the lead back role. Pierce struggled behind him, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry and missing three games due to another ankle sprain. Houston then got Joe Mixon, reducing Pierce’s workload further. Another injury, this time to his hamstring, sidelined him at the start of the 2024 season and limited his work for the rest of the year. He finished with just 40 carries for 293 yards, though 92 of those came on a single rush. Without that play, he still averaged a solid 5.15 yards per carry, but again, Houston looked elsewhere in the offseason, signing Nick Chubb and draft Woody Marks with a fourth-round pick.

With Mixon sidelined by a foot injury to start the 2025 season, Chubb and Marks have led the backfield with just 10 carries for Pierce. Mixon is now expected to miss the rest of the season, which was reported hours before Pierce’s release hit the NFL’s transaction wire, making it a somewhat surprising move. If anything, it speaks volumes about how much Pierce fell out of favor under DeMeco Ryans‘ regime. Despite a promising rookie season, Pierce’s opportunities undeniably plummeted after Ryans was hired. Other teams will now have a chance to claim him off waivers; if that does not happen, he will be free to sign with any team (or their practice squad) as a free agent.

Carter, an undrafted rookie out of the University of Houston, signed with the Texans’ practice squad in September and saw his first NFL action against the Titans last week. His special teams work must have satisfied the coaches, earning him a 53-man roster spot and a role on game days for the foreseeable future.

The Texans also elevated veteran safety Jalen Mills and undrafted rookie linebacker Jackson Woodard to the active roster for Thursday night’s matchup with the Bills.

CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens Benched For First Series Of Week 11; Latest On Pickens’ Future

November 20th, 2025 at 3:30pm CST by Connor Byrne

NOVEMBER 20: Lamb revealed on Thursday (via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News) that he and Pickens were disciplined for missing curfew the night before the game. The two were out late at Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Sunday night.

NOVEMBER 18: Dallas rolled to a 33-16 win in Las Vegas on Monday, but the game started oddly for the Cowboys. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer left the Cowboys’ top two wide receivers, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, on the bench for the team’s first offensive series. Both players ended up making major contributions in the Cowboys’ victory, but it was initially unclear why they didn’t start.

Owner Jerry Jones addressed the situation afterward (links via Jon Machota of The Athletic), saying Schottenheimer’s decision “had to do with meeting type discipline.” Jones added that Lamb and Pickens “had a late problem there.”

Lamb declined to discuss the matter on Monday, while Pickens said the brief benching had to do with “certain personnel” (via Machota).

Regardless of what exactly happened, it quickly became water under the bridge for Schottenheimer. The first-year HC was effusive when speaking about the receiving tandem after the game (via Todd Archer of ESPN).

Schottenheimer said that “[Lamb and Pickens] literally jump-started the offense when they got back in. They didn’t hang their heads, didn’t do any of that stuff. That’s why I love those guys, man.”

Lamb had a strong night, catching five passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. Pickens produced all-world numbers with nine grabs, 144 yards, and a score. They accounted for more than half of quarterback Dak Prescott‘s 25 completions and 210 of his 268 passing yards.

The Cowboys already have Lamb under wraps for the next few seasons, having signed the star WR1 to a four-year, $136MM extension in August 2024. Pickens’ future is up in the air, though, as he remains on track to reach free agency in the offseason.

Pickens had some behind-the-scenes issues, including with punctuality, in Pittsburgh. The Steelers then decided to move on from Pickens in the offseason, trading him and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Cowboys for a 2026 third-rounder and a 2027 fifth-rounder.

Aside from Schottenheimer’s minor disciplinary measure on Monday, there hasn’t been any reported drama involving Pickens since he got to Dallas. On the field, the 24-year-old is easily on pace for the best season of his career. He ranks second in the NFL in receiving yards (908), tied for third in TDs (seven), and 11th in catches (58).

Pickens is playing his way into a sizable multiyear contract, especially if he hits the open market. However, the Cowboys could place the franchise tag on Pickens if they don’t reach an agreement before March. That would cost around $29MM, and it’s reportedly an avenue the Cowboys will strongly consider. Jones seems prepared to keep Pickens one way or other.

Asked if the Cowboys could build a balanced roster with Lamb, Pickens, and a $60MM defensive tackle trio (Quinnen Williams, Osa Odighizuwa, and Kenny Clark) eating up an enormous amount of cap space, Jones told 105.3 The Fan, “Yes. Yes.”

The Cowboys will enter the offseason needing to clear out roughly $47MM just to get back to even, per Over the Cap. While Jones seems unfazed, he’ll have work to do to open up spending room to retain Pickens and address other needs on the roster.

Texans RB Joe Mixon Not Expected To Play In 2025

November 20th, 2025 at 12:49pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Texans running back Joe Mixon is not expected to play in 2025, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Mixon suffered a foot injury while working out in the offseason, which landed him on the non-football injury list at the beginning of training camp. He missed all of training camp and was placed on the physically unable to perform list to start the regular season, stirring significant concerns about him playing at all in 2025.

Updates at the end of September added more doubt that Mixon would suit up anytime soon, and Rapoport’s most recent report indicates that Mixon will likely stay on the PUP list for the rest of the year. That will keep veteran Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks in place as the team’s primary ballcarriers, but they have not led the Texans’ running game to as much success as Mixon did last year.

Houston finished the 2024 season with the 15th-most rushing yards, touchdowns, and yards per attempt. Currently, they rank 22nd or worse in all of those categories. That may not only be a result of Mixon’s absence – the Texans also overhauled their offensive line this offseason – but the eight-year veteran is clearly missed this year.

The Texans acquired Mixon from the Bengals via trade last offseason and signed him to a two-year, $19.75MM extension. He missed three games with an ankle injury, but ranked ninth in the league with 72.6 yards per game. His 11 touchdowns were tied with Jonathan Taylor for 11th-most in the NFL.

Houston added running back depth this offseason in the form of Chubb ($2.5M free agency signing) and Marks (fourth-round pick, No. 116 overall). Chubb is averaging 4.2 yards per carry, while Marks is only at 3.5. Both have two touchdowns and 17 first downs on the ground, but Marks has been a far more effective pass-catcher. The youngster seems to have a role in the Texans’ offense as a third-down back, but Chubb is on a one-year deal and Mixon has no guaranteed money in 2026. Houston could remake their backfield this offseason with more investments in external additions.

Packers LT Rasheed Walker Expected To Hit Free Agency

November 20th, 2025 at 10:00am CST by Nikhil Mehta

Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker could be the best player at his position to hit free agency in 2026. Green Bay is not expected to re-sign Walker before his contract expires, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, which would make him one of the biggest prizes of the offseason.

Starting-caliber left tackles rarely make it to free agency, much less a prototypical physical talent like Walker who has already established himself in the NFL. He was originally projected to be a Day 2 pick before falling on draft weekend due to lingering injuries from college.

The Packers took a change with the No. 249 pick, and a little over a year later, it paid off when David Bakhtiari suffered a season- and ultimately, career-ending injury. Walker stepped right in and has started all but one game since. This year, his 94.3% pass block win rate ranks seventh among the league’s offensive tackles, per ESPN’s Matt Bowen, and the 25-year-old still has room to grown.

The Packers have just $10.2MM in 2026 cap space with only 41 players under contract, per OverThe Cap. They can obviously find ways to create more room, but they just paid right tackle Zach Tom this offseason and already have an expensive interior offensive line. A seventh-round pick like Walker may also want to hit his full earning potential by auctioning his services to the highest bidder.

That should set him up to eclipse Dan Moore‘s four-year, $82MM deal with the Titans, an example of how much even unheralded left tackles can make on the open market. He hit free agency last offseason and earned a contract that put him in the company of Garett Bolles, Dion Dawkins, and Ronnie Stanley, who have all received Pro Bowl and/or All-Pro recognition in their careers. Walker is thought to be better than Moore and one NFC executive expects him to get “paid paid,” per Fowler.

Browns’ Shedeur Sanders To Start In Week 12

November 19th, 2025 at 10:29pm CST by Connor Byrne

With Dillon Gabriel in concussion protocol, the 2-8 Browns will turn to their third starting quarterback of the season in Week 12. Fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders will get the nod against the Raiders on Sunday, head coach Kevin Stefanski announced.

Gabriel suffered his injury in last Sunday’s loss to the Ravens, paving the way for Sanders’ NFL debut. He completed 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards and an interception in relief of Gabriel, a third-round rookie who has struggled mightily since taking over in Week 5.

The Browns named Gabriel their starter after trading Joe Flacco to the Bengals on Oct. 7. The left-hander has tossed seven touchdowns against two interceptions in eight games, but he has posted a subpar 59.2 completion percentage and an 80.8 passer rating. His 30.9 QBR ranks 32nd in the NFL.

Stefanski said Gabriel’s health is “improving,” but not quickly enough for him to play against another 2-8 team this weekend. Sanders will get all the first-team reps in practice this week, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. That should give Sanders a better chance to succeed than he had when he came off the bench in Week 11.

There may not have been a more polarizing prospect in last spring’s draft than Sanders. Many expected him to go in the first round, but the former Colorado standout fell all the way to pick 144. Even though the Browns took Gabriel two rounds earlier, they couldn’t pass on Sanders’ value in Round 5. They traded up for the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, which came after some teams reportedly removed Sanders from their draft boards. Various clubs had concerns that Sanders didn’t take his pre-draft interviews seriously, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote in May.

While the Ravens were prepared to use the 141st pick on Sanders, he was reportedly uninterested in joining a team with an established QB. AFC North rival Cleveland presented a clearer path to playing time than Baltimore, which has two-time MVP Lamar Jackson entrenched as its signal-caller.

Sanders will now have at least one week to make his case to serve as the Browns’ starter for the rest of the season. Poised to finish near the bottom of the league standings for the second straight year, the Browns will enter the draft armed with two first-round selections (one acquired from Jacksonville). If the Browns aren’t convinced they have the answer in Gabriel, Sanders, or the injured Deshaun Watson when April rolls around, they could use a high pick on a QB.

Cardinals To Stick With GM Monti Ossenfort, HC Jonathan Gannon?

November 19th, 2025 at 10:20pm CST by Connor Byrne

At 3-7, the Cardinals are headed for a last-place finish in the NFC West. Odds are they’ll miss the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. There may be questions about the job security of general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon in the coming weeks as a result.

The Cardinals hired Ossenfort, previously a Titans executive, in January 2023. He picked Gannon, formerly the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, a month later. Arizona has gone a woeful 15-29 in two-plus seasons under its current regime.

Considering the team’s lack of progress, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes that “opinions are split on whether Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill will take action.” ESPN colleague Dan Graziano expects Ossenfort and Gannon to remain in place, though.

Both Fowler and Graziano note that the Cardinals haven’t been in position to draft a franchise QB under Ossenfort and Gannon. Bidwill could give them the opportunity to do so in April.

The Cardinals’ present leadership inherited former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray when they arrived in Arizona. However, Murray’s time in the desert could soon run out. Statistically, the seventh-year man has endured an up-and-down career with the Cardinals. From a team standpoint, the Cardinals’ lone playoff appearance under Murray yielded disastrous results in a wild-card round loss to the Rams in January 2022. The Cardinals have finished below .500 in every season since then.

A season after helping the Cardinals to the playoffs, Murray tore his ACL in Week 14 of the 2022 campaign. The recovery process limited him to eight games in 2023. Murray bounced back to play his first 17-game slate last season, but a mid-foot sprain has held him to five appearances this year. Murray has been on IR since Nov. 5. He won’t play again until Week 14 at the earliest.

With veteran backup Jacoby Brissett performing well in Murray’s place, it’s reportedly possible the latter has played his last snap with the Cardinals. Murray is still on the five-year, $230.5MM deal Arizona gave him in 2022, and he’s guaranteed $36.8MM in 2026. His $19.5MM salary for 2027 will vest on March 22, 2026. The Cardinals could trade or release Murray before then, which would enable them to escape that portion of the 28-year-old’s contract.

If the Cardinals move on from Murray ahead of next year’s draft, it would enable Ossenfort and Gannon to devote their attention to selecting his successor. Clayton Tune, a 2023 fifth-rounder who’s now with the Packers, is the only QB the Cardinals have drafted since they brought in Ossenfort and Gannon. Assuming those two stay in place, that figures to change next spring.

Commanders Could Shut Down QB Jayden Daniels For Season

November 19th, 2025 at 10:05pm CST by Ely Allen

Ten months ago, the Commanders were celebrating an upset win over the Lions in the Divisional Round of the playoffs and preparing to face the Eagles for a chance at a Super Bowl berth all on the arm and legs of a rookie quarterback. Fast forward to today, and Washington’s season has gone anything but according to plan. As second-year passer Jayden Daniels continues to work his way back from his third injury of the season, the surprising position the team finds themselves in could dictate the grounds for his return.

A week ago, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN passed on rumors that the Commanders were preparing for a potential five- to six-week absence for Daniels, despite other reports estimating a mere three weeks of recovery. The potential for a longer than expected recovery combined with a loss to the Dolphins in Madrid had Fowler speculating about a situation in which Daniels doesn’t play again this year.

A week later, that loss to Miami has actualized, and Washington, as a result, now faces a week of reflection and decision-making. Fellow ESPN reporter Dan Graziano noted today that the Commanders will take this Week 12 bye week to “examine everything” and acknowledged that “external debates” have taken place concerning the reasonableness of Daniels not returning this year, but ultimately, he asserted that he’s been told “the plan in Washington is still that Daniels will return to the starting lineup once doctors clear him from his elbow injury.”

While Fowler didn’t dispel the notion of that being the Commanders’ plan, he maintained that his sources have Daniels possibly being back for Week 13, though “the team has loosely braced for an absence of five to six weeks, just in case.” No teams have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, but if this turns into a six-week absence and the team’s six-game losing streak continues, Washington could find itself well out of playoff contention with three games left on the schedule against division-rivals who could be playing for postseason positioning.

If the Commanders are sitting at 3-11 with games left against the Eagles, Cowboys, and Eagles, again, sending Daniels out with nothing on the line feels borderline irresponsible. Considering that Daniels has sustained three different injuries this year, testing his durability with nothing to play for could obviously do more harm than good. Graziano, though, points out that Daniels is likely advocating to get back on the field and, because this latest injury was not related to his legs or his throwing arm, the team may not be as cautious with their approach to his return.

They’ll have the rest of the week to consider all of this before they have to start game-planning for a Week 13 game against the Broncos. If Daniels is good to for the matchup with Denver, the chances of reinjury may be a bit higher against a defense that has a 15-sack lead on the second-best sack-getting team in the NFL.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow A ‘Full Participant’ At Practice

November 19th, 2025 at 8:48pm CST by Ely Allen

The Bengals designated star quarterback Joe Burrow to return from injured reserve last Monday, opening up his 21-day practice window. That was nine days ago, so the team has 12 days to determine whether or not he will be activated this season. Things could be looking pretty good on that front, as Burrow appeared as a full participant on Cincinnati’s injury report today.

In his first week back at practice, Burrow was able to participate in some noncontact 7-on-7 work and was still feeling good after getting back in the action. At the 7-day mark, head coach Zac Taylor laid out their goals for moving forward.

“This week, the plan will be: let’s get to Wednesday and see if we can work him in some 11-on-11 and go from there,” Taylor told the media, per Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer. “Before we ever do that, there’s no reason to have a discussion on what the timeline is beyond that, because there are steps we have to follow.”

Two days later, Burrow did his assigned 11-on-11 work as a full participant in practice today. Burrow’s return to practice surprisingly hasn’t limited the team’s access to backup passer Joe Flacco, who’s still expected to start for Cincinnati against the Patriots this weekend. Flacco has been dealing with a right shoulder injury since Week 9. In every week that they’ve had a Sunday game since, Flacco has sat out Wednesday practice, been a limited participant in practice on Thursday, and sat out again on Friday before doing walkthroughs leading up to the game.

So, Burrow got the ball today as Flacco sat out per usual. Tomorrow is usually a limited day for Flacco, but the Bengals will obviously want him to get time with the first-team offense if he’ll be starting this week. Burrow still could get good amount of time with the first string if Flacco is limited as usual. Taylor wanted to get his star passer back in 11-on-11, and it looks like we’re getting more of that this week. Asked whether Burrow could start this weekend’s matchup with New England, Taylor replied, “Until we get through some practices, there’s no reason for me to even speculate on that.”

We already know that team and player both intend for Burrow to return despite the team’s long odds on a postseason berth, as long as he’s ready. With that in mind, this weekend’s game could be Flacco’s final start in front of the Cincinnati crowd. Following this weekend, Flacco should get another matchup against the team that drafted him — this time in a different shade of orange — before another road game takes the team to Buffalo.

The game against the Bills has been deemed the likeliest time for Burrow’s return, but there’s still a chance — slim as it may be — that he could get activated in time to go head-to-head against Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Jackson again in three straight weeks. There’s also a chance the team activates him but slow plays his return until they’re sure he’s ready to go. For now, though, Burrow continues to make insane progress in his return from an injury that many expected would end his season.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/19/25

November 19th, 2025 at 7:13pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/19/25

November 19th, 2025 at 6:45pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor moves:

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Designated for return from reserve/PUP: RB Eric Gray

Pittsburgh Steelers

21 days have gone by since the Steelers opened Trice’s practice window. They’ve made the decision not to activate him from injured reserve, so he will remain on IR without the possibility of being activated.

Gray has been on New York’s physically unable to perform list since they set their initial 53-man roster. With rookie running back Cam Skattebo hitting IR earlier in the season, Gray’s return could add some needed depth at the position.

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