HEADLINES

Titans To Sign DL Shy Tuttle

August 26th, 2025 at 4:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Vested veterans have an advantage over players exposed to waivers today, and Shy Tuttle will be an early beneficiary. The recently cut Panthers defensive lineman has already found a new home.

Tuttle is set to join the Titans, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Tennessee will bring the two-year Carolina starter in on a one-year deal, adding an experienced player to a position group that stood as ray of light during a rough 2024 slate.

The Titans ranked second in total defense but 30th in scoring, owing part of the latter total to a poor quarterback situation. They return Jeffery Simmons, Sebastian Joseph-Day and T’Vondre Sweat up front. Tuttle figures to supply depth, doing so after spending the past four seasons as an NFC South starter. The Titans only kept five D-linemen on their initial 53-man roster; Tuttle will move that to a more logical number to open the season.

A Saints UDFA during Sean Payton‘s time at the helm, Tuttle worked as a backup in 2019 and ’20 before shifting to a starter the following year. Tuttle started 29 games with the Saints from 2021-22, creating a solid free agency market ahead of a three-year, $19MM Panthers deal — a contract Carolina later reduced (in 2025) ahead of today’s release.

Carolina used Tuttle as a full-time starter over the past two seasons, and he saw time at multiple D-tackle spots — including nose. Sweat has that spot locked down in the Titans’ starting lineup, but Tuttle could spell the mammoth interior presence. Tuttle played 56% of Carolina’s defensive snaps — as the Panthers sank to last place defensively in points and yardage — but ranked outside the top 100 (in Pro Football Focus’ view) among D-tackles. The Titans will provide the soon-to-be 30-year-old DT another chance.

Commanders Make 30 Cuts, Place G Sam Cosmi On PUP

August 26th, 2025 at 4:46pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Commanders made a massive wave of roster moves this afternoon, releasing 30 players and placing starting right guard Sam Cosmi on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, per a team announcement.

Cosmi, 26, was viewed as a long shot to be ready for Week 1 after tearing his ACL in January. The fifth-year lineman will be sidelined for at least four games with veteran Nick Allegretti likely to start in the interim.

Here are the rest of Washington’s moves:

Waived

Released

Hartman, who signed with the Commanders as an undrafted free agent in 2024, was never going to make the roster ahead of veterans Marcus Mariota and Josh Johnson. He is likely to return to Washington’s practice squad if he clears waivers, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Felton is another practice squad candidate, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. He hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2022 and most recently played for the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions.

Headlining Washington’s veteran cuts is Ferrell, who started 10 games for the Commanders in 2024. He never lived up to his draft billing as the No. 4 pick in 2019 and will now be looking for his fourth team in as many years. H0lmes and Day both had rotational defensive line roles last season, while Deiter started two games as the backup center but lost his spot this year.

Lions Shift Alim McNeill, Malcolm Rodriguez To Reserve/PUP List; Team Sets Initial Roster

August 26th, 2025 at 4:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

In stashing two injured starters on the reserve/PUP list, the Lions also made a host of cuts to move down to 53. Here are the moves the two-time reigning NFC North champions made at today’s cutdown deadline:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Waived (injury settlement):

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Placed on reserve/NFI list:

McNeill is believed to be ahead of schedule, but the standout interior D-lineman will still be stashed on the PUP list — requiring a four-game absence. The Lions lost McNeill to an ACL tear — in their bloodbath of a season on defense — to a Week 15 ACL tear. This came weeks after the Lions and the four-year veteran hammered out an extension. McNeill, who has been pegged as most likely to return around midseason, is signed through 2028.

Rodriguez went down with an ACL tear during the Lions’ Thanksgiving win over the Bears. It was reported previously the young linebacker would be expected to miss regular-season time, and that will come to pass.

The Lions became the extraordinarily rare team to drop down to 50 players on roster-cutdown day, as opposed to the required 53. That will keep options open. The team can bring vested veterans back without the waiver process being involved, and teams occasionally wait until after the vested-veteran guarantee deadline passes in early September to re-sign vested performers to avoid fully guaranteeing salaries.

Cardinals Move DL Walter Nolen To Reserve/PUP List

August 26th, 2025 at 3:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

It will be a while before the Cardinals can see Walter Nolen in action. The calf injury that has kept the first-round pick on Arizona’s active/PUP list will now sideline him for at least four games.

Upon setting their 53-man roster, the Cardinals are transferring Nolen to the reserve/PUP list. Nolen’s injury occurred while training at the team facility, making the rookie eligible for the PUP list — as opposed to the NFI list, which is important for salary purposes. Nolen will be locked into his fully guaranteed salary on the PUP list.

The Cardinals effectively punted on their D-line in 2023, after J.J. Watt retired and Zach Allen joined the Broncos in free agency, but the team has steadily retooled there. After drafting Darius Robinson in the 2024 first round, the Cardinals signed Browns cap casualty Dalvin Tomlinson. Arizona then used the No. 16 overall pick on Nolen this year. A post-draft Calais Campbell reunion then commenced, forming an intriguing group up front. The Tomlinson and Campbell additions loom larger now, with Nolen set to be out until at least October.

Nolen racked up 6.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and three pass deflections at Ole Miss. Those totals helped earn him first-team All-SEC and All-American honors and cement his status as one of the top options in a deep defensive line class. While questions were raised early in the pre-draft process about his range, it was clear just before the opening round Nolen would likely not need to wait long to hear his name called. But he now will need to wait a bit before debuting.

The Cardinals, who also added Josh Sweat in free agency, have overhauled their pass rush in the past two offseasons. They will have a more formidable front seven, thanks to the bevy of additions this year, but the full group working together — in what is likely Campbell’s final season — is on hold.

Patriots Waive G Cole Strange

August 26th, 2025 at 3:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Three-plus years after using a first-round pick on Cole Strange, the Patriots are cutting him. New England waived the former starter, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports.

Exiting the offseason program, Strange was believed to be leading the Pats’ left guard battle. That changed during training camp, and he is among the holdovers to have fallen out of favor with the Mike Vrabel-led coaching staff. Mentioned as a potential surprise cut, Strange will exit and leave the Pats with $3.9MM in dead money.

Used at both guard and center during his Patriots tenure, Strange never justified Bill Belichick‘s investment. Chosen 29th overall three years ago, Strange — viewed as a reach at the time — ran into a severe knee injury in Year 2 and never ultimately got back on track. The Pats declined his fifth-year option in April.

Strange suffered a torn patellar tendon in 2023, and the injury sidelined him for most of the 2024 season. When the Patriots brought Strange off their PUP list last year, he worked primarily at center. Vrabel’s staff transitioned him back to guard this offseason, but New England saw third-round pick Jared Wilson made a charge for the LG gig. Wilson appears set to form an all-rookie left side with first-round pick Will Campbell.

The Pats’ initial 53-man roster includes Ben Brown and swingman Caedan Wallace — part of the team’s 2024 left tackle merry-go-round — as interior backups behind Wilson and RG Michael Onwenu. Strange is not yet a vested veteran, so he will be available to claim by 11am CT Wednesday.

Colts To Host CB Mike Hilton

August 26th, 2025 at 3:37pm CST by Adam La Rose

Mike Hilton found himself amongst the Dolphins’ roster cuts yesterday. A long stay on the open market may not be needed this time, however.

Hilton has lined up a visit with the Colts for tomorrow, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. A workout in Indianapolis will take place, and a deal could be struck shortly thereafter. Per Schultz, a mutual interest exists for an agreement in this case.

It would come as little surprise if Hilton were to wind up with the Colts. He has four years of experience working with Lou Anarumo dating back to their time together in Cincinnati. Anarumo was the Bengals’ defensive coordinator during that span, and he is now at the helm of the Colts’ defense.

Injuries in the secondary have been an issue for Indianapolis this offseason, so the prospect of additions well into the summer has been consistent. Xavien Howard is set to return to the NFL after sitting out the 2024 campaign. He too is a familiar face to Anarumo. As an illustration of the team’s uncertain situation at the CB spot, Howard could step into a starting role despite only signing last week.

Hilton, on the other hand, would not be expected to handle a first-team role if he joined the team. The 31-year-old has operated in the slot for much of his career, but the Colts already have Kenny Moore to handle those duties. Hilton could serve as a veteran backup option, though, as a veteran of 123 games. Hilton is free to sign at any time, and it will be interesting to see how tomorrow’s workout goes. It could produce an agreement on the active roster of Indianapolis’ initial practice squad.

Falcons Place RT Kaleb McGary On IR

August 26th, 2025 at 3:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Teams have had the option of stashing two players on IR with return designations over the past two Augusts. While that was the expectation for Kaleb McGary, the Falcons’ roster revealed a significant setback for the team’s O-line.

Atlanta did not stash McGary on IR with a return designation, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo clarifies. That will sideline the recently extended blocker for the season. That deals a blow to a Falcons team that also is without swing tackle Storm Norton, who suffered a knee injury recently.

The Falcons did place Norton on their IR-return list, which also includes defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham. Norton is expected to miss between six to eight weeks. McGary injury specifics are not yet known, but him being done for the year deals a blow to a Falcons team employing one of the NFL’s two left-handed starting QBs (in Michael Penix Jr.).

Raheem Morris did say last week that McGary would miss significant time, and it now represents good timing on his part to secure a second Falcons extension. Atlanta gave McGary a two-year, $30MM deal that brings $17.99MM guaranteed, per Spotrac. McGary will have plenty of time to rehab, but locking in that guarantee when he did probably spared him a value loss in free agency.

McGary, 30, was tied to a three-year deal that expired after the 2025 season. He joined Jawaan Taylor and Mike McGlinchey on a strong RT market in 2023. While the former first-round pick did not match the eventual Chiefs and Broncos RTs’ contracts, he did well and delivered two more years as a Falcons starter. The seventh-year veteran has started 92 career games, never missing more than three in a season.

Norton will be an option to replace McGary once he comes off IR, but for now, the Falcons are in a bind. They did trade for second-year blocker Michael Jerrell, whose 245 rookie-year snaps all came at right tackle, earlier today. Jerrell joins veteran swingman Elijah Wilkinson as immediate options. Wilkinson, a former Broncos swing tackle who had shifted inside in recent years, became McGary’s immediate replacement in practice. The Falcons are already replacing Drew Dalman, their three-year center starter who signed a high-priced Bears deal; they will now see more O-line turnover to start the season.

Texans Trade OL Austin Deculus To Chargers

August 26th, 2025 at 3:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Texans’ offensive line reshuffle continues; they are trading fourth-year blocker Austin Deculus. The 2022 Houston draftee will be dealt to the Chargers, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports.

In exchange, the Texans will add a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick. Deculus will join a Bolts team dealt a tough injury blow weeks ago upon losing left tackle Rashawn Slater for the season.

Houston has already made three trades involving O-linemen this offseason. They dealt Laremy Tunsil to the Commanders, sent Kenyon Green to the Eagles and acquired Ed Ingram from the Vikings. No. 4 involves a much lower-profile player in Deculus, who has played in 13 career games with one start.

For a team that lost a Pro Bowl left tackle, the Bolts are in fairly decent shape. They kicked Joe Alt over from right tackle and are set to plug Trey Pipkins — he of considerable starting experience — at RT, marking a return after an unsuccessful guard transition. The Chargers also roster ex-Slater LT fill-in Jamaree Salyer up front.

All but one of Deculus’ NFL snaps on offense have come at left tackle. The trade gives the Bolts a second backup option alongside Salyer, who has a year of guard starter experience under his belt as well.

Chargers To Activate RB Najee Harris

August 26th, 2025 at 3:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Najee Harris‘ recovery has progressed to the point he will be moved off the active/NFI list. Rather than stashing the free agency addition on the reserve/PUP list — which would require a four-game absence — the Chargers are moving him to their 53-man roster, veteran reporter Jordan Schultz tweets.

Sustaining injuries in a fireworks accident July 4, Harris has not practiced fully. This activation does not guarantee Harris will be ready for Week 1, but the Chargers’ decision points to an early-season debut.

While a rumor last week indicated Harris could begin the season on the reserve/NFI list, GM Joe Hortiz did not rule out Week 1. Teams do not have to release injury reports until Week 1, though the Chargers’ season-opening Brazil tilt — against the Chiefs next Friday — will provide earlier clarity on the running back’s status.

Harris has ramped up his side workouts at Bolts practice, though concern has naturally emerged about the state of his injured eye. The four-year Steelers starter was an ironman on his rookie contract, not missing any time while racking up four straight 1,000-yard seasons. The fireworks injury will threaten to end the former first-rounder’s streak. Next week’s practice reports will be telling.

The Bolts added some protection in Omarion Hampton, who is poised to be the team’s Week 1 starter and long-term option behind/alongside Justin Herbert. The Chargers minimized Harris’ place on the team when they used the No. 22 overall pick on Hampton, who can be kept on his rookie contract through 2029 via the fifth-year option. Harris is tied to a one-year, $5.25MM deal. And the July setback clouds his role with his new team and his chances of upping his free agency stock for a 2026 bid.

Texans S Jimmie Ward Placed On Commissioner’s Exempt List

August 26th, 2025 at 3:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jimmie Ward is already in position to miss the first four games of the season, but health is not the only factor which could impact his return to to action. The Texans safety was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list Tuesday, per a league announcement.

Ward is therefore prohibited from practicing or playing for Houston until he is removed from the list. Since he will begin the season on the reserve/PUP list, those conditions are already in place for September. Still, this development is a sign Ward’s legal situation is unsettled in the NFL’s view.

The 34-year-old was arrested in June on an assault family violence charge. Following that third-degree felony case’s opening, Ward was prohibited from consuming alcohol as a condition of his bail. He was arrested earlier this month for violating it, and a grand jury will decide whether to indict Ward on the underlying felony charge on September 2, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Ward is also the subject of a civil suit stemming from the matter.

NFL investigations often do not begin in earnest until after the legal process winds down. As a result, it comes as little surprise Ward has been moved to the league’s equivalent of paid leave with an indefinite period on tap before his case is concluded. League discipline does not require a criminal conviction, so a fine and/or suspension could be looming regardless of how the coming weeks unfold with respect to the case.

Houston will rely on trade acquisition C.J. Gardner-Johnson as a key figure at the safety spot in 2025. Calen Bullock is also on track for a starting spot, while rookie Jaylen Reed is set to handle a backup role. The Texans’ full list of Tuesday cuts has not yet emerged, but their roster decisions will need to take into account Ward’s absence for the next month and potentially beyond that point.

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