HEADLINES

QB Carson Wentz To Visit Vikings

August 23rd, 2025 at 10:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

Carson Wentz remains unsigned deep into August, but he is receiving interest. The veteran quarterback is meeting with the Vikings today, ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry reports.

Minnesota expectedly allowed Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones to depart in free agency this offseason, leaving J.J. McCarthy in place to handle starting duties. The 2024 first-rounder’s development will be central to the Vikings’ success, but the depth chart behind him is clearly still a point of focus late in the summer.

The Vikings swung a trade for Sam Howell during the draft, setting up the former Commander and Seahawk to work in the backup gig for one season. Howell did not take part in yesterday’s preseason finale, however. Instead, undrafted rookie Max Brosmer along with veteran Brett Rypien handled quarterback duties against the Titans. Their fates are uncertain with Tuesday’s roster cut deadline looming.

Already carrying four signal-callers, Minnesota does not represent a team in immediate need of new depth under center. Wentz will receive a look, however, and it will presumably include spending time with a familiar face. The Vikings’ quarterbacks coach is Josh McCown, who served as Wentz’s backup with the Eagles in 2019. That represented the final year of McCown’s playing career; he has been on the Vikings’ staff since 2024.

Wentz has bounced around the NFL since his five-year Philadelphia tenure came to an end. The former No. 2 pick has spent single campaigns with the Colts, Commanders, Rams and Chiefs over the past four years. Wentz was destined to find himself on the move once again when Kansas City added Gardner Minshew for the QB2 role. He was linked to the Browns in March, but Cleveland went in a number of different directions to fill out its depth chart.

As a result, Wentz – who has 94 starts to his name but only one from each of the past two campaigns – remains available. The 32-year-old would certainly add a high degree of experience to Minnesota’s QB room as the team prepares to rely on McCarthy following his season-long 2024 injury absence. The Vikings currently have $32MM in cap space, so a one-year Wentz accord should not prove to be challenging provided his visit produces an offer.

Chargers RB Najee Harris Could Start Year On NFI List

August 23rd, 2025 at 9:58pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

AUGUST 23: No decision has been made yet on Harris’ status, but general manager Joe Hortiz said on Saturday (via Popper) Week 1 is still in play in this case. The Chargers will need to move Harrison to the NFI list by Tuesday afternoon unless they feel he will be available within the first four weeks of the season. Based on Hortiz’s comments, a spot on the active roster should now be expected.

AUGUST 16: Chargers running back Najee Harris could start the regular season on the non-football injury list as he continues his recovery from a fireworks-related eye injury, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.

Harris has returned to the practice field, but not practice itself. He made some progress this week, but at too slow a pace to be ready for Week 1. In addition to his physical rehab, he also has to make the mental adjustment to a new offense, which may be harder if his vision is still impaired in any way.

Unless Harris takes significant steps towards a return in the first few weeks of the season, putting him on the NFI list might be the Chargers’ best option. It would open up another roster spot and give Harris a longer runway to get back to 100% before retaking the field.

If Harris is sidelined to start the year, Chargers first-round pick Omarion Hampton could surge into a true bellcow workload. The next two running backs on the depth chart, Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal, combined for just 244 yards on 77 carries in 2024. Both will make the 53-man roster as backfield depth and contributors on special teams, but neither seems to offer enough offensive upside to take snaps away from Hampton.

The Chargers could opt to carry another running back to replace Harris on the roster. Undrafted rookie Raheim Sanders has impressed in the preseason, per Popper, giving him a leg up on comeback veteran Nyheim Miller-Hines and former Commanders UDFA Jaret Patterson.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/23/25

August 23rd, 2025 at 9:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: CB Garnett Hollis Jr.
  • Waived-injured: S Wande Owens
  • Released from IR: RB Jarveon Howard

Added earlier this month, Hanson suffered an undisclosed injury during Atlanta’s preseason finale yesterday. The 28-year-old being moved to IR now – and thus before using the designated for return option introduced in 2024 becomes a possibility – means he will miss the entire season. Hanson was not a lock to make the Falcons’ roster, of course, but his absence will add further to the team’s absences up front with starting right tackle Kaleb McGary set to miss time.

Kellen Moore: Saints’ QB Competition Too Close To Name Starter

August 23rd, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

AUGUST 23: When speaking to the media on Saturday, Moore said (via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell) a final decision on the team’s starting gig will be made “at some point in the next few days.” The evaluation process will include breaking down today’s preseason finale, which saw each of Rattler, Shough and Haener take part. 15 days remain until the Saints’ regular season opener.

AUGUST 21, 4:01pm: Moore announced on Thursday afternoon that Rattler would start against the Broncos on Saturday, suggesting he has a slight edge in the race to be the Saints’ Week 1 starter under center.

3:29pm: Although the Browns and Colts began the week by settling their Week 1 starting quarterbacks, the Saints are not there yet. New Orleans’ starting quarterback competition between Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough will go on for another week.

Head coach Kellen Moore declined to name a starter going into the team’s third preseason game and said (via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell) that Rattler and Shough have been “really really close…going all the way back to the start of training camp.”

“I think both these guys are putting in tremendous effort, tremendous work,” added Moore.

The two young passers have put up improbably similar statistics across two preseason games. On 44 dropbacks, Rattler has completed 25 of his 35 attempts for 252 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Shough dropped back 40 times and completed 24 of his 35 attempts for 231 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Their efficiency markers are just as close, in terms of completion percentage (Rattler’s 71.4% to Shough’s 70.6%), yards per attempt (7.2 to 6.8), and passer rating (89.2 to 86.8).

Interestingly, PFF’s grades clearly favor Rattler (70.8 passing grade, 71.4 overall) to Shough (57.3, 56.8), though each was credited with two Big Time Throws and one Turnover Worthy play. Rattler did have a substantially higher average depth of target (8.3 to Shough’s 6.8) and a much lower pressure to sack rate (15.8% to Shough’s 30.8%).

The Saints, of course, will have their own method of choosing a starter. Saturday’s preseason finale against the Broncos will likely be a major factor.

Falcons Conduct First Wave Of Roster Cuts

August 23rd, 2025 at 7:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

With Tuesday’s roster deadline approaching, the Falcons have begun making required cuts. These 12 players were let go on Saturday:

Released:

Waived:

Fox signed with Atlanta early in free agency, and the veteran appeared to be slated to handle a role along the defensive line as a result. Somewhat surprisingly, though, he has been released. Fox played in all three of the team’s preseason contests, a sign he was on the roster bubble. The 30-year-old will now hit the market in search of his next opportunity (which will no doubt present itself after final cuts are made and teams sort out their initial rosters).

DiNucci signed on Monday and by doing so provided the Falcons with a contributor under center for their preseason finale. Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins sat out the contest in preparation for their respective roles as starter and backup in 2025. Unless he is retained via the practice squad, DiNucci will need to look elsewhere while aiming to latch onto an NFL roster.

As a result of today’s moves, the Falcons are down to 77 players on their roster. Like every other team, they will need to bring that total to 53 by Tuesday afternoon.

Jets Begin Roster Cuts

August 23rd, 2025 at 5:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jets are the latest team to unveil an early round of roster cuts ahead of the upcoming deadline. Per a team announcement, the following six players have been waived:

Each member of the list will now hit the waiver wire. Usually, a one-day period exists for a claim to be made. At this point on the NFL calendar, however, that timeframe lasts until Wednesday (the day following final roster cuts). As such, each player listed will need to wait several days to learn their fate.

Johnson signed a futures deal with New York in January, whereas Miller and Mullbah were part of the team’s UDFA class. They each received a lengthy look in the organization, but today’s move obviously comes as little surprise as the journey to 53 continues in New York’s case. A spot on the practice squad will of course be possible for any players not claimed next week.

Wilson’s situation will be worth watching. The Florida State product enjoyed a strong campaign in 2024 with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers before attempting to land an NFL roster spot. Provided he reaches free agency by means of not being claimed or signing with the Jets’ practice squad, a trip north of the border could once again be in store.

Saints’ OL Depth Hurting

August 23rd, 2025 at 4:53pm CST by Ely Allen

After a year in which two offensive line positions were essentially revolving doors for starters, the Saints entered their offseason program with a strong plan. Unfortunately, their emergency plan may have required an emergency plan of its own as New Orleans has watched injuries ravage their offensive line depth.

The Saints have a preliminary starting five that sees Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz return to their roles last year at center and right guard, respectively. Trevor Penning, last year’s starting right tackle, has bumped in to the left guard spot, allowing last year’s left tackle, Taliese Fuaga, to return to the position he played in college after starting his rookie year at left tackle. Finally, filling the vacated left tackle spot will likely be rookie first-round pick Kelvin Banks Jr.

However, as mentioned above, the Saints have been bitten before, so they made sure to stock up on depth for their offensive line. Those pieces included free agent addition Dillon Radunz, centers Will Clapp and Shane Lemieux, guard Nick Saldiveri, tackle Landon Young, and a few others. Despite the team’s efforts, a number of those players have already gotten injured in the preseason, leaving New Orleans extremely thin along their offensive line with just over two weeks until their regular season opener.

Clapp and Saldiveri are already done for the season, and Radunz has stepped in for Penning as he deals with turf toe, per Matthew Paras of The Times-Picayune. To make matters worse, Young was carted off the field during Saturday’s preseason game with an ankle injury, according to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. Lemieux appeared to be making a push for the Saints’ backup center job until he, too, left Saturday’s game with an ankle injury (via Paras). That could give bolster the roster chances of depth interior linemen Torricelli Simpkins and Luke Fortner, the latter of whom was acquired in a trade last week.

New Orleans’ OL woes could have them scouring the waiver wire over the coming days to shore up their depth in the trenches. A quicker recovery from Penning would also allow Radunz to serve as a versatile backup after playing every position except center in Tennessee.

Nikhil Mehta contributed to this post.

Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh Hit With 10-Year Show-Cause Penalty By NCAA

August 23rd, 2025 at 4:28pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has been hit with a 10-year show-cause order from the NCAA stemming from the University of Michigan sign stealing scandal, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Harbaugh was specifically punished for failure to monitor Michigan’s football program, failure to comply with NCAA rules, and failure to cooperate with the resulting investigation.

A show-cause order technically isn’t an outright ban or suspension, though that is the intended effect. If any school were to hire Harbaugh, he would not be eligible to participate in any athletic-related activities without seeking the approval of the NCAA, according to Chris Vannini of The Athletic.

The 10-year penalty will begin on August 7, 2028, at the conclusion of a four-year show cause order that Harbaugh is currently serving for recruiting violations during the COVID-19 pandemic (via an NCAA press release). He will also face a one-year suspension should he returns college football during that time, according to Mark Maske of The Washington Post.

Harbaugh’s NCAA infractions could subject him to discipline from the NFL. In 2011, the league suspended Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor after he declared for the draft while facing a five-game suspension from the NCAA, according to a 2023 report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. The Colts, who had hired former Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressell as a consultant that offseason, sidelined him for six games in accordance with his own suspension after consultation with the league office. If the NFL believes that Harbaugh left the NCAA to avoid accountability for his conduct at Michigan, they could levy penalties of their own.

Michigan’s sanctions include recruiting penalties and a significant fine that could eclipse $20MM, per Thamel. Head coach Sherrone Moore received a two-year show-cause order and an additional one-game suspension for the 2026 season on top of the self-imposed two-game suspension this year. Former staff members Conor Stallions and Denard Robinson (also an ex-NFLer) received show-cause orders as well.

Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet Earned Bigger Role For 2024

August 23rd, 2025 at 2:58pm CST by Ely Allen

The running back situation in Seattle has been frustrating for years as young, talented rushers continuously seem to experience bad luck with injuries. At the moment, Kenneth Walker‘s injury issues from last year are frustrating as he has practiced sparsely so far this summer, but the real frustration may be with fans of last year’s RB2 Zach Charbonnet, who has more than shown he can carry the torch in Walker’s absence.

According to ESPN’s Brady Henderson, regardless of how healthy Walker is in 2025, the Seahawks expect to utilize Charbonnet in a much bigger role this year. This doesn’t quite indicate that either running back has secured the RB1 role or that the RB1 role is up for grabs at all, but it’s becoming clear in Seattle that they need to get Charbonnet more opportunities, whether Walker is healthy or not.

Walker was an immediate hit as a second-round rookie out of Michigan State in 2022, rushing for over 1,000 yards and notching nine scores in 11 starts after initial starter Rashaad Penny went down with injury. In 2023, the team added Charbonnet, another second-round running back, and the UCLA back proved to be an immediate improvement behind Walker over Seattle’s Miami (FL) duo of DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer had been in 2022.

Though Walker started all but two contests in 2023, Charbonnet (108 carries) cut quite a bit into Walker’s 219 carries. While Walker got first touches and goal line responsibilities, Charbonnet did more with his carries as a rookie, averaging slightly more yards per carry than Walker. Both backs played equal roles as receivers.

Last year, the picture changed significantly. Injuries forced Walker to miss three different two-game stretches. In those six games, Charbonnet proved to be perfectly capable as a replacement starter, totaling 433 yards and six touchdowns on 91 carries in those games, alone. Once again, Charbonnet outpaced Walker in yards per carry, but this time it was by a significant margin. Despite having 18 fewer carries than Walker, Charbonnet was only four yards short of him on the season and finished with one more touchdown than Walker.

This year, George Holani, an undrafted rookie on last year’s team, and seventh-round rookie (a third Hurricanes back) Damien Martinez don’t stand much of a chance at poaching carries, so it will be the Walker-Charbonnet show, though with what ratio, we don’t yet know. Walker is clearly a talented rusher, but injuries killed his third season in the league, and he has not been on the field much as the team implements a new offense.

Charbonnet, on the other hand, has shown maturity and patience as he waits for his name to be called. He’s been impressive in his spot starts, and perhaps more importantly, he’s only been inactive for a single game through his first two seasons in the NFL.

Keep in mind, also, that Walker will be playing on the final year of his rookie contract, and front offices tend to think running backs age like lettuce. If Walker doesn’t prove to be as effective as he was in his first two years of play, the Seahawks may just decide to see if Charbonnet can handle a full-time RB1 role moving forward and start looking towards future options at the position with no plans of extending or re-signing Walker.

Either way, it’s expected that we’ll see plenty of both backs in 2025. As long as he’s healthy enough, Walker should start the year as RB1. Charbonnet will likely rotate in off the bench as the team works on ways to get him more snaps throughout the games, or perhaps, they’ll alternate possessions. It’s all speculation at this moment, but Charbonnet has shown enough on the field to leave very little room for error for Walker in a contract year.

Eagles, Chiefs Pursued Calais Campbell

August 23rd, 2025 at 2:11pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Eagles and the Chiefs both wanted to sign Calais Campbell this offseason, according to former teammate and ESPN analyst Sam Acho.

Acho revealed the two teams’ interest during a preseason broadcast, per ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. He played with Campbell in Arizona from 2011 and 2014. Years later in 2018, Acho and Campbell served as NFLPA representives for the Bears and the Jaguars, respectively. Given the pair’s relationship, it’s safe to assume that Acho wasn’t speaking out of turn when referencing Campbell’s free agency process.

Interest from the Eagles and the Chiefs means that at least four other teams were pursuing Campbell before he decided to return to Arizona. The Ravens and the Dolphins also made offers, but a strong signing bonus from the Cardinals was enough to motivate a reunion. Campbell’s move out west also represents a homecoming of sorts, as Phoenix is much closer to his hometown of Denver than his previous teams on the East Coast.

Signing with the Eagles or the Chiefs, last season’s Super Bowl participants, would have been a clear sign that Campbell was chasing a ring to end his Hall of Fame career. A reunion with the Ravens would have offered similar upside.

Instead, the 17-year veteran seems poised to retire a Cardinal without a championship. Though Arizona is expected to improve after two losing seasons under head coach Jonathan Gannon, they are not considered a serious Super Bowl contender.

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