Chargers DC Jesse Minter Potential 2026 HC Candidate?
2025 marked a new era in many respects for the Chargers. First-time general manager Joe Hortiz was brought in to pair with head coach Jim Harbaugh, who revamped the team’s staff. 
That process included bringing in familiar faces for offensive (Greg Roman) and defensive (Jessie Minter) coordinators. Los Angeles’ defense improved from No. 24 in points allowed in 2023 under Derrick Ansley to No. 1 in Minter’s first season at the helm of the unit. Another strong season could result in head coaching interest.
The Athletic’s Jeff Howe names Minter as one of the top candidates to watch regarding future head coaches (subscription required). An NFL executive was “adamant” Minter will be leading a team as early as the 2026 campaign. The 42-year-old has been in coaching dating back to 2006.
Minter worked his way to the coordinator level in college before joining John Harbaugh‘s Ravens staff in 2017. A four-year Baltimore stint was followed by a return to the college ranks, and Minter spent one season as Vanderbilt’s defensive coordinator before holding that same position at Michigan for the 2022 and ’23 seasons. After winning the national championship with the Wolverines, Minter followed (Jim) Harbaugh to the Chargers last offseason.
Los Angeles ranked a middling 14th against the run in 2024, something which contributed to an 11th-place finish in total defense. The team posted a No. 7 rank against the pass, though, and after making a number of moves in the secondary this spring expectations will remain high in that regard. The Chargers reached the postseason with a record of 11-6 despite playing in the highly competitive AFC West.
The division figures to once again offer a number of challenges in 2025. The Bolts are among the contenders to take a step forward regarding postseason success this year; if that takes place (or at least if the team remains effective on defense), it would come as little surprise if Minter were to receive interest for one or more head coaching vacancies next winter.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/30/25
Saturday’s NFL taxi squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Ryan Flournoy
- Released: OL Saahdiq Charles
Flournoy was waived on Thursday, but he went unclaimed yesterday. That allowed for the 25-year-old to remain in Dallas via a practice squad agreement. Charles – who was retained on the taxi squad following roster cuts – is out of the organization for now, but ESPN’s Todd Archer notes he could return at some point.
Bears’ LT Situation Still Unsettled
Darnell Wright is set to spend his third straight season as the Bears’ starting right tackle. A central aspect of Chicago’s offseason was a complete renovation along the interior of the offensive line, with guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson being acquired via trade and center Drew Dalman arriving in free agency. 
Those moves should help Caleb Williams avoid taking as many sacks in 2025 as he did during his rookie season. Crucially, though, Chicago’s left tackle spot has been a question mark throughout the offseason. New head coach Ben Johnson has overseen an open competition through training camp and the preseason. With the team’s exhibition games in the books, no standout option has emerged.
“I think we’re going to have a starter Week 1, and we’ll go from there,” Johnson said (via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin). “I said it a few weeks ago – we feel good about the guys we have in that room. Someone’s gonna take the bull by the horns and is going to completely take over. But we’re not afraid to make a change if the performance isn’t where it needs to be.”
Incumbent Braxton Jones was fully cleared late last month after ankle surgery. That has allowed the pending 2026 free agent to work with the starters in training camp, but he has not done enough for Johnson to declare him the winner of the competition. Second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo has had opportunities on the blindside as well as right tackle this summer. The same is also true of 2024 undrafted free agent Theo Benedet, who did not see any regular season game time last season.
The other player who has represented an option (albeit never the top one) in the left tackle contest is Kiran Amegadjie. Drafted in the third round last year, the Yale product made six appearances and one start as a rookie. Amegadjie could see time at left tackle in 2025, but general manager Ryan Poles said this week (via Scott Bair of the Marquee Sports Network) he will begin working at guard as well.
As such, Jones remains the likeliest candidate to start in Week 1. The 26-year-old has started each of his 40 games to date, but 11 missed contests across the past two seasons have proven to be an issue. A healthy slate in 2025 would be critical in determining Jones’ market value next spring. Based on Johnson’s comments, though, it is still unclear if Jones or any one other player will receive the left tackle nod throughout the campaign.
Dolphins Open To Christian Wilkins Reunion
During his five-year run in Miami, Christian Wilkins served as an impactful contributor in a full-time starting role. His big-ticket free agent deal with the Raiders did not go according to plan, however. 
Wilkins – who inked a four-year, $110MM deal last spring – was limited to just five games in 2024. Multiple foot injuries (along with the decision not to undergo surgery for the second one) were among the reasons Vegas’ new regime elected to move on. Wilkins was released roughly one month ago, and he remains unsigned with just days remaining until Week 1.
Reports about an incident with a Raiders teammate – which resulted in an HR complaint – came out alongside other alleged episodes back to Wilkins’ college days. A grievance has been filed over the matter of his remaining guarantees, something which will have notable cap consequences for Vegas regardless of how it plays out. Other teams are free to pursue a deal at any time, though. A reunion in Miami is not imminent, but the door could be open to one.
“I don’t think we would ever close our minds on anything,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said when asked about Wilkins (via Barry Jackson the Miami Herald). “Haven’t had any conversations about it. We would be open to it because while he was here, he was a very good player for us.”
With roster cuts in the rearview, it would come as a surprise if the Dolphins were to make any major additions this close to the start of the campaign. The team already has one major DT contract on the books in the form of the recent Zach Sieler extension, and Miami’s first-round pick in this year’s draft was used on Kenneth Grant. Those two figure to play prominent roles along the defensive interior for years to come. The Dolphins are also currently near the bottom of the NFL in terms of cap space ($4.33MM).
Wilkins, 29, was a strong run-stopping presence during his Miami tenure and easily set a new career high with nine sacks in 2023. That figure helped make him one of the top free agents on the market last spring, something which is certainly not the case at the moment. It will be interesting to see if Wilkins finds a suitor over the coming days, and whether or not the Dolphins turn their attention his way at any point.
NFL Injury Updates: Thomas, Colson, Otton
The Giants activated left tackle Andrew Thomas from the active/physically unable to perform list earlier in the month, and it was quite a journey to get him to that point. Thomas was working his way back from a Lisfranc injury that ended his 2024 campaign after only six weeks of play.
According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Thomas’ recovery timeline hit a bump when he underwent another surgery in April to have a screw removed from his foot. The screw had been put in as part of the initial October operation, and the doctors had informed him at the time that there was a 50-50 chance the screw would need to be removed. The screw reportedly was causing Thomas discomfort, so the second operation was performed, delaying his return just a bit.
Thomas also underwent a scope of his other ankle that was planned long before the screw removal in order to remove some scar tissue. That ankle is back to full health now, and Thomas will continue working his way back to 100 percent as the regular season approaches.
Here are a few other injury updates from around the NFL:
- In final roster cuts, the Chargers placed linebacker Junior Colson on season-ending injured reserve. No information was given on the injury, as teams don’t submit injury reports until the regular season, but per ESPN’s Kris Rhim, head coach Jim Harbaugh disclosed that Colson had undergone season-ending shoulder surgery. It’s a disappointing outcome for the second-year player out of Michigan.
- Lastly, the litany of injuries to pass catchers in Tampa Bay may extend to the tight ends room. According to Buccaneers staff writer/reporter Brianna Dix, tight end Cade Otton could end up missing regular season time with a leg injury. Otton missed most of training camp because of a hamstring injury but returned in the closing days of the preseason. Now, the leg injury has held him out of the team’s last two practices and could indicate that he may be unavailable for some portion of the regular season.
Failed Waiver Claims Following Roster Cut Deadline
Following every team’s efforts to get down from a 90-man training camp roster to a 53-man active roster for the regular season, waiver wire claims were processed on non-vested players that were cut. There were a few players who drew more interest than others. We’ve already seen the breakdown of claims for former Ravens cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis and former Cardinals cornerback Jaylon Jones, so here’s a look at a couple more. 
The Ravens also waived Beau Brade, an undrafted safety out of nearby Maryland who made the team as a rookie last year. Mostly a special teamer throughout his year in Baltimore, Brade fell victim to an influx of unexpected talent from the team’s new undrafted class as rookie free agents as Keyon Martin and Reuben Lowery earned spots over Armour-Davis and himself. Per ESPN’s Field Yates, the Jaguars were interested in bringing Brade to Duval, but the Giants had the higher waiver priority.
Armour-Davis wasn’t the only player the Titans were awarded off waivers. Tennessee also ended up claiming cornerback Samuel Womack fresh off his dismissal from Indianapolis. A fifth-round pick out of Toledo in 2022, Womack started eight games for the Colts last year after getting waived by the 49ers in 2024’s final roster cuts. Tennessee was awarded the 26-year-old this year, although the Browns also put in a claim, according to Garafolo.
Garafolo pointed out one more such instance with former Jaguars defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson. A fourth-round pick out of LSU last year, Jefferson was waived by Jacksonville after being inactive for nine games his rookie year. The Bengals, who desperately need improvement on the defensive line this season, put in a claim for Jefferson to come to Cincinnati, but the 49ers held a higher waiver priority and claimed him for themselves.
Yates also brought up another, noting that linebacker Cam Jones had a claim from the Colts before being awarded to the Jets, while ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that former Eagles offensive guard Trevor Keegan was awarded to the Cowboys due to their waiver priority over the Chargers.
Similarly, when the Giants waived fan favorite backup quarterback Tommy DeVito, they hoped that they would be able to bring him back to their practice squad, per Geoff Magliocchetti of Sports Illustrated. Instead, the Patriots claimed him off waivers, and now Paul Schwartz of The New York Post reports that the Giants will not sign a quarterback to practice squad, as a result. It’s just as well, considering the team is carrying three passers on the active roster.
Micah Parsons Trade Fallout: Financials, Cowboys, Packers
When the Micah Parsons trade from Dallas to Green Bay was reported, we had a good number of details concerning the new contract Parsons would sign with the Packers. To reiterate, we listed it as a four-year, $188MM deal with $136MM in total guarantees ($120MM guaranteed at signing). Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, $44MM of those guarantees will be in the form of his signing bonus. 
Pelissero continued his breakdown of the deal. Base salaries for the next two years of $1.17MM in 2025 and $2.39MM in 2026 are fully guaranteed, while the base salary of 2027 ($3.11MM) is guaranteed for injury. Option bonuses in 2026 ($38MM) and 2027 ($34.44MM) are fully guaranteed at signing, as well. Any remaining guarantees (approximately $12.89MM) would be partially guaranteed from his 2028 base salary of $40.55MM. In 2029, the final year of the deal, Parsons would have a base salary of $43.55MM and a $1MM 90-man bonus.
Parsons will also receive per game active roster bonuses of $11,764 which could total and additional $200K in each season. Every year from 2027-29 offers $250K Pro Bowl and All-Pro escalators, and 2029 holds additional $250K incentives for making the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst expressed how he “really likes” Parsons’ salary cap numbers for the next three years, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, and it makes sense that he drew the line at three. Those cap hits are $9.97MM in 2025, $19.24MM in 2026, and $26.85MM in 2027. Once you jump into Year 4, though, Parsons’ cap hit goes to $64.29MM in 2028 and $68.29MM in 2029.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter points out that Parsons will be subject to Wisconsin’s state income tax on games played in Green Bay, whereas Texas has no state income tax, so that portion was not withheld for Cowboys home games. Schefter’s crude calculation removing 7.65 percent from Parsons’ annual value may be a bit understated; regardless, it still leaves Parsons with more money after taxes than the deal Dallas had offered to him.
Here are a few more fallout items coming out of the monumental trade from two days ago:
- On the Cowboys’ side of things, this week’s trade freed up $19MM of 2025 cap space. Now with an estimated $42MM in free salary cap space, Dallas is second in the NFL in that regard, behind only the Patriots ($52MM), according to Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac.
- The Cowboys may end up using that cap space, too. Pelissero quoted team owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones saying, “Nothing says we can’t use some of those picks right now to go get somebody right now.” The team has four first-round picks in the next two years, but if both teams remain playoff contenders, how much value does the draft capital hold? It may make more sense to bring in some immediate contributors by trading the first-rounders and absorbing their extra cap hits with the team’s ample cap space.
- Pelissero also noted, in an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, that this move is out of character for the Packers. He notes that, for decades, Green Bay has been reportedly close to deals for players like wide receiver Randy Moss or tight end Tony Gonzalez, but the deals have always fallen just short as the Packers balk at giving up more compensation than they’re comfortable with. He also notes that they haven’t traded a first-round pick (let alone two first-round picks) since they acquired quarterback Brett Favre in 1992. The reason they’re willing to do so now? We’ve seen recent Super Bowl champions be extremely active in the trade market. The Eagles, Chiefs, and, most notably, the Rams have all made ambitious win-now moves when they felt they were closest to contention. While there’s certainly an art to building a team through the draft and developing a culture and roster, once you get to a certain point, one or two big moves for impact players could be the factor that wins a Super Bowl, and a player like Parsons is definitely of that caliber.
Panthers To Re-Sign Hunter Renfrow, Place Jalen Coker On IR
The Panthers are swapping out receivers on their 53-man roster on Saturday by re-signing veteran Hunter Renfrow and placing Jalen Coker on injured reserve, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz and Joe Person of The Athletic.
Renfrow, 29, sat out the 2024 season as he dealt with a case of ulcerative colitis. He signed with the Panthers in April and spent training camp with the team before being released during final roster cuts. They wanted to keep him in the building, but as a vested veteran, Renfrow was free to sign with any team. Multiple were interested, per Schultz, but Coker’s IR placement allowed the Panthers to give the veteran wideout a spot on the active roster.
Coker pulled his quad chasing a deep ball during a 1-on-1 drill in a fully-padded practice on Thursday and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks, according to Person. The injury happened one day after the Panthers traded Adam Thielen, their primary slot receiver for the last two years, to the Vikings.
Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said on Thursday (via Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer) that Coker would “step into the slot” after Thielen’s departure. Morgan also said that he had enough confidence in the team’s trio of young receivers – Coker, Xavier Legette, and Tetairoa McMillan – to trade Thielen.
We have guys that we’re really excited about,” explained Morgan, “and that definitely made me feel more comfortable pulling the trigger and trading [Thielen].”
Renfrow’s “peaks and dips” in the preseason were the reason the Panthers cut him this week, according to head coach Dave Canales (via Person). However, his experience in the slot – where he’s played 72.8% of his career snaps, per PFF (subscription required) could give him a role right away.
The 2019 fifth-round pick leveraged interest from other teams and the Panthers’ need at the psoition into a stronger deal than the $1.3MM deal he signed in April. Renfrow’s new contract is worth $2.25MM ($2MM guaranteed), according to Person. It includes a signing bonus as well as incentives that can bring his compensation to $3MM, per Kaye.
The Panthers may also give sixth-round rookie Jimmy Horn Jr. after he led the team in slot snaps during the preseason (via PFF) and made the 53-man roster. Coker, meanwhile, will spend at least four weeks on the IR as he rehabs his quad and looks to regain his role in the slot upon his return.
Ikem Ekwonu Underwent Appendectomy, Considered ‘Day To Day’
Panthers left tackle Ikem Ekwonu had an emergency appendectomy last Sunday, according to an announcement by head coach Dave Canales (via team writer Darin Gantt).
Ekwonu was experiencing stomach pain and a consultation with team doctors led to surgery. Any procedure this close to the season will naturally put a player’s Week 1 status under question.
Canales said that Ekwonu would be “day-to-day, all the way up until the game,” a September 7 visit to Jacksonville.
Recovery from an appendectomy can vary, per Gantt: “Then-Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was back on the field eight days after a procedure in 2022, while Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari missed three games after his during that same season.”
Ekwonu, 24, is entering his fourth NFl season after the Panthers made him the No. 6 overall pick in 2022. He immediately took over as Carolina’s left tackle and started 46 games in a row to open his NFL career. He then missed two games with an ankle issue in 2024, but recovered to finish the season. The North Carolina State product has grown in each year and the Panthers picked up his fifth-year option in April. Like many members of his draft class, Ekwonu is angling for a long-term extension from his team.
If Ekwonu misses time in the regular season, the Panthers have two primary candidates to replace him on the blind side. Brady Christensen, a 2021 third-round pick, is listed as the backup left tackle on the team’s depth chart. He replaced Ekwonu during his brief absence last year. Veteran Yosh Nijman is another option. He started three games at right tackle in Carolina last year and 22 at left tackle in his previous three seasons in Green Bay.
Micah Parsons Attempted To Restart Cowboys Extension Talks Prior To Trade
One week before the start of the regular season, the Cowboys and Packers completed a landscape-altering trade. Micah Parsons will play out his second contract in Green Bay after talks with Dallas did not produce a deal.
Further details on the process which ultimately resulted in Parsons landing a record-breaking investment for non-quarterbacks have emerged. The four-time Pro Bowler and his camp spent a lengthy period without negotiations taking place, with owner Jerry Jones attempting to stick to the terms spoke about during the spring. Agent David Mulugheta was not present for that conversation, something which proved to be a central talking point in this saga.
In the aftermath of the trade, Parsons told NFL Network’s Jane Slater he and his camp went to the team in a bid to reengage on contract talks once reports emerged about a trade being possible in recent days. The two-time All-Pro said Dallas’ response was for him to commit to playing on his fifth-year option or to “leave.” During Thursday’s press conference, Jones confirmed (via colleague Mike Garafolo) that was the team’s stance leading up to the trade being finalized.
“We do have players that come in, and we totally respect it, that say, ‘I don’t feel comfortable talking about my contract. I’d like you to go through my agent,'” COO Stephen Jones said during the presser (via Garafolo). “And we do that respectfully. I mean, you’re not required to come in and negotiate the contract yourself. All the ones we’ve done like that are those who request to come in and visit with Jerry or myself. That’s the only ones we’ve done that way.”
Among Jerry Jones’ many comments on the situation was the claim he offered to make Parsons the top earner for non-quarterbacks during the unofficial spring contract talks. A report from yesterday indicated the deal discussed was five years in length and averaged $40.5MM per season. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe confirms (subscription required) those were indeed the terms presented by Dallas. In the end, Parsons landed $47MM on average – along with massive guarantee figures – on a four-year Packers extension. Term length is often a point of contention regarding Cowboys contract talks, with the team preferring longer pacts.
As the Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb deals indicated last offseason, though, Jones and Co. have been willing to compromise with four-year accords. That did not prove to be the case with Parsons. As a result, the 26-year-old is on the move just before Week 1. The deteriorating relationship between team and player in this case included a trade request being issued on August 1, something which is commonplace during extension talks. Jerry and Stephen Jones added during the press conference (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport) they never felt as if Parsons genuinely wanted to leave, though.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated notes the length of Dallas’ offer appears to have been an issue. He adds the Penn State product’s behavior shifted over the course of the summer as this situation played out; Parsons attended walkthroughs and team meetings but did not take part in on-field drills during training camp. His decision to lay on medical table during Dallas’ final preseason contest became a talking point (and was immediately followed by a meeting with head coach Brian Schottenheimer). Jerry Jones noted that episode did not impact the decision to move forward with a trade.
“We’ve certainly got a new coaching staff and a third of all the players are new,” Jones said (via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News) when reflecting on the Parsons trade and the Cowboys’ 2025 prospects. “And obviously there is freshness, we’ll use the word new on that basis. We have the highest-paid player in the NFL at quarterback and we made that commitment last year and we’re proud we made it. It had everything to do with this decision. It gives us every opportunity with Dak Prescott, Lamb and the base that we got to win now.”
Observers are skeptical about Dallas’ defense improving in the short term without Parsons in the fold, although the inclusion of defensive tackle Kenny Clark in the package sent from Green Bay will help the Cowboys’ run defense. The fate of the two first-round picks Dallas also received will be key in telling the final story of this trade. For now, all parties are positioned to move forward after a last-minute effort to work out a Cowboys extension was shut down.