Stephen Jones Addresses Cowboys’ Upcoming Micah Parsons Negotiations
Just as the 2024 offseason was largely defined by high-profile extension negotiations, the Cowboys will again have a major contract matter to attend to this spring. Edge rusher Micah Parsons is on track to play on his fifth-year option in 2025, but a long-term deal will be the central aim of team and player once negotiations begin. 
Parsons was eligible for a monster second contract this past offseason, but the cases of quarterback Dak Prescott and wideout CeeDee Lamb took precedence. Both players landed new deals to avoid a potential free agent spell, but by making major commitments in each case the Cowboys continued their trend of authorizing big-ticket contracts to players at the top of the depth chart. A busy spring in terms of outside spending should not be expected, and retaining Parsons will require signficant cap resources.
“Obviously we’re totally all in on Dak and CeeDee,” Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport) when asked about Parsons talks. “But after that, then you still shape things, including Micah. But Micah’s a great player. You don’t do well in this league letting guys like Micah, usually, leave the house.”
Parsons has remained productive in 2024 before and after the high ankle sprain he suffered midway through the campaign. He currently has 6.5 sacks, giving him a chance to reach double-digits in that regard for the fourth consecutive season. The three-time Pro Bowler has long been connected to a deal making him the league’s highest-paid edge rusher, and he could wait for the market to move when the likes of Myles Garrett (Browns) and T.J. Watt (Steelers) negotiate new pacts before engaging in serious Cowboys talks. Nick Bosa‘s 49ers pact carries an annual average value of $34MM per year, a figure which Parsons might not be entirely set on surpassing on his second contract.
While Jones did not offer a public guarantee Parsons will be retained beyond 2025 (when he is scheduled to collect $21.32MM), he added he “can’t imagine there’s a scenario” in which the 25-year-old would play for a team other than Dallas. Parsons has expressed a desire to stay with the Cowboys through the remainder of his career, and reaching agreement on a long-term accord will go a long way toward ensuring that.
Dallas’ commitments to Prescott and Lamb will lead to major cap implications for years to come, and other major financial decisions will be tied to new deals for pending free agents Zack Martin and DeMarcus Lawrence or pacts for their replacements. Cornerback Trevon Diggs (who is out for the year) is on the books through 2028, and his salary for next season is set to vest early in the new league year. Adjustments and cuts will take place between now and then, but Parsons’ status will remain a situation worth watching closely.
OL Notes: Bolles, Chiefs, 49ers, Texans, Jags
For a second time, the Broncos allowed Garett Bolles to play deep into a contract year before extending him. After the sides previously reached an extension agreement in November 2020, Bolles inked his second Denver extension days before the team’s Week 15 game. Talks did not begin until recently. The sides did not begin to discuss a new deal — one Bolles had begun to lobby for back in 2023 — until after the Broncos’ win over the Browns, 9News’ Mike Klis notes. While Bolles held Myles Garrett without a sack, the Broncos’ upcoming bye week presumably had more to do with the timing of the negotiations.
Bolles is now the NFL’s sixth-highest-paid left tackle. Like recently extended edge rusher Jonathon Cooper, he may well have done better by reaching free agency. But Bolles wanted to stay with the team that drafted him back in 2017. The four-year, $82MM contract includes $23.7MM guaranteed at signing and features a similar guarantee structure to the one Mike McGlinchey secured. If Bolles is on Denver’s roster by Day 5 of the 2025 league year, his 2026 base salary becomes guaranteed, per OverTheCap. As the Broncos have part two of Russell Wilson‘s dead money due in 2025, they have predictably backloaded Bolles’ deal. This is a rather extreme effort, as five void years (through 2033) are attached to this deal. Bolles will count $5.8MM on Denver’s 2025 cap and just $9.2MM in 2026; the cap hits balloon past $20MM after that.
Here is the latest from the NFL’s O-line situations:
- Unable to find a reliable left tackle since letting Orlando Brown Jr. leave in 2023, the Chiefs are going with an emergency plan today. With recent signee D.J. Humphries declared out due to a hamstring injury he sustained in his Kansas City debut, the Chiefs are kicking Joe Thuney to left tackle. The left guard saw time at LT against the Raiders, who were besting second-year blocker Wanya Morris. Rather than go with Morris, the Chiefs are using Thuney at LT and backup Mike Caliendo at LG, per ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher. This will cut into the Chiefs’ elite inside trio, but with the team seeing Patrick Mahomes hit with more frequency in recent weeks, it will use this patchwork adjustment to stem the tide. A 2023 UDFA, Caliendo is making his first career start.
- On the same note, the Texans are making a change. Right tackle Tytus Howard is moving back to left guard, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. Both center Juice Scruggs and left guard Kenyon Green are out. As a result, Howard will return to the position he primarily played last season. Howard has shuffled between tackle and guard as a pro; prior to his 812-snap 2024 at RT, he played all 408 of his 2023 snaps at LG. Second-round pick Blake Fisher is in at RT.
- Trent Williams‘ recovery from an ankle injury has proven “a lot” slower than the 49ers expected, Kyle Shanahan said (via ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner). The team is not ruling him out for the rest of the season. That said, San Francisco is now 5-8; shelving the All-Pro the rest of the way would make sense. Williams, 36, secured significant guarantees via a September reworking. He has not indicated a 2025 return will commence, but his through-2026 contract contains enticements to come back.
- The Bears should be likely to be shoppers to fortify their O-line’s interior in 2025, with the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs rating that area atop the team’s list of needs. Chicago whiffed on Nate Davis and devoted low-end money to center. Left guard Teven Jenkins is a free agent-to-be who has not engaged in substantive extension talks.
- Like Bolles, Walker Little secured an extension recently. The Jaguars revealed their long-term left tackle plan, post-Cam Robinson, by signing Little to a three-year, $40.5MM extension. The first two years of Little’s deal are fully guaranteed, per OverTheCap. That comes out to $25.94MM. Although his 2027 salary is nonguaranteed, the 2021 second-rounder did well on the guarantee front as he bypasses free agency.
Browns Activate DT Michael Hall, To Make Kicker Switch
DECEMBER 15: Hopkins is a healthy scratch for the Browns’ matchup with the Chiefs. Cleveland has made its regular kicker — one it extended earlier this year — inactive, going with Patterson, who is now with a fifth team since February.
The Jaguars, Commanders, Jets, Falcons and Browns have employed Patterson since the 2025 league year began. Cleveland had used Patterson as a Hopkins injury replacement late last season, ultimately giving the veteran his job back once he recovered. Hopkins is not injured now, but the Browns are still going with Patterson.
DECEMBER 14: The Browns have announced their gameday transactions which include two activations from injured reserve and two standard gameday elevations. One of those elevations, that of kicker Riley Patterson, seems to insinuate a potential change in the depth chart. 
Regular kicker Dustin Hopkins has been having the worst kicking year of his career. On the season, Hopkins has missed nine of his 25 attempts, including a miss from inside 30 yards and five misses from inside 50. Adding to an abysmal 64 percent field goal conversion rate are two missed extra point attempts out of 18 tries. The veteran’s inconsistency has been on display all season, but in Cleveland’s last four games, Hopkins has gone an atrocious two for seven (three for nine in the last five games).
Hopkins signed a three-year, $15.9MM extension to stay in Cleveland after missing only three kicks in 2023, making all eight tries from beyond 50 yards. Earlier this week, following a loss in which Hopkins missed his only two field goal attempts, head coach Kevin Stefanski doubled down on the beleaguered veteran, claiming that Hopkins is their kicker. It’s not clear whether or not Hopkins will open tomorrow’s contest with a bit of a leash or if Patterson’s promotion makes him the primary kicker on Sunday, but the elevation is worth noting, regardless, after Stefanski’s comments.
The two IR activations are both rookies: second-round defensive tackle from Ohio State Mike Hall Jr. and seventh-round South Dakota cornerback Myles Harden. Hall played in four games earlier this year after a delayed start to his rookie season and factored into the defensive line rotation pretty significantly, averaging just over 40 percent of the snap count each game. He’ll return in time to try and get his rookie season back on track.
Harden, on the other hand, was placed on IR shortly after Week 1, a game in which he did not appear, and would be making his NFL debut, should he get on the field. Both players are listed as questionable on the injury report after full practices on Friday.
The other standard gameday elevation joining Patterson off the practice squad tomorrow will be wide receiver and return man James Proche. In five games for the Browns this year, Proche has only three catches for 21 yards but has contributed to the return game with 13 punt returns for 119 yards.
Chiefs WR Marquise Brown Designated For Return
DECEMBER 15: Not playing today, Brown may not be too far from making his elusive debut as a Chief. Good form in his return to practice has made the free agency addition a candidate to resurface in Kansas City’s Week 16 game against Houston, Rapoport offers. While Rashee Rice is done for the season, the Chiefs could have all their remaining wideouts ready to go soon.
DECEMBER 13: Brown is indeed set to practice today, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports. Activation in time for Week 15 could be in play as a result, although that would come as a surprise after very limited work in preparation for Kansas City’s upcoming game. Nevertheless, Brown should be back in the fold in time to see game action before the regular season ends.
DECEMBER 12: Marquise Brown has been cleared to practice, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, positioning the star wideout to get back on the field for the Chiefs after shoulder surgery on his SC joint in September put his season in doubt.
Reports of Brown’s potential to return this year initially emerged in November and intensified last week after the 27-year-old scheduled an appointment with his surgeon to receive final clearance to play. The appointment went well, according to Rapoport, setting up Brown to practice with his teammates for the first time in months.
Kansas City will still be cautious with Brown, who has dealt with several injuries in his football career dating back to his college days at Oklahoma. The team is expected to open Brown’s practice window on Friday or the following Monday. He will have 21 days to ramp up as the Chiefs figure out if he can contribute this season.
Brown’s return could be a massive boost for a Chiefs offense that ranks outside of the top six in passing yards for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era. However, Brown is not guaranteed to have a major impact, as he has yet to play a single regular-season snap in Kansas City. He signed a one-year, $7MM contract this offseason, but injured his shoulder in mid-August, minimizing his practice time in a new offense.
Even if Brown is able to play again this year, he won’t be asked to shoulder an especially heavy snap count or playmaking role. Trade deadline acquisition DeAndre Hopkins has settled in well in Kansas City, and first-round pick Xavier Worthy has topped 40 yards in each of his last four weeks after doing so just twice over his first nine games. Putting Brown and Worthy on the field together would give Mahomes one of the fastest receiver tandems in the NFL, which could potentially open up more room for Hopkins and Travis Kelce to operate over the middle.
Jets To Interview Jon Robinson, Louis Riddick For GM Post
General manager candidates not tied to an NFL team can begin interviewing for vacant jobs at any point, whereas staffers currently employed elsewhere cannot. Two such candidates are set to factor into the Jets’ GM search.
The Jets are planning GM interviews with former Titans front office boss Jon Robinson and longtime ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Robinson will go first, with Schefter adding his Jets meeting is slated to occur this week. Riddick’s is on track to take place at a later date.
[RELATED: Bill Belichick Contacted Jets About HC Job]
Robinson, 48, has not resurfaced since his December 2022 Titans ouster. Amy Adams Strunk booted her seventh-year GM despite having given him a lengthy extension earlier in 2022. Robinson’s Titans contract ran through the 2027 draft, which has continued to cost the team money while he is out of the NFL. No possible offset has emerged yet, as is also the case with Mike Vrabel, whom the club canned in January. Vrabel is firmly in play to land another HC job in 2025, while his five-year decision-making partner is now back on the radar as well.
The Titans hired Robinson in 2016 and produced four winning seasons, including four playoff berths, with the ex-Patriots exec at the helm. Tennessee made a habit of surprising most during this span, rivaling the AFC’s top powers despite Ryan Tannehill not checking in near the top tier among quarterbacks. The Titans went 9-7 in 2017, upsetting the Chiefs in the wild-card round, and then replaced Mike Mularkey with Vrabel. Tennessee then voyaged to the 2019 AFC championship game, where a Chiefs team then armed with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback eliminated the resurgent Titans, and then won the AFC South in 2020 — Derrick Henry‘s 2,000-yard season. The 2021 Titans went 13-4 to deny the Chiefs the AFC’s top seed, doing so despite a number of injuries, but fell to the Bengals in that year’s divisional round.
Tennessee’s Robinson-built rosters running into regular injury trouble became an issue for Adams Strunk, who also fired her GM soon after A.J. Brown put together a strong revenge game in a December 2022 Titans-Eagles matchup. Robinson had traded Brown during the 2022 draft, doing so after underwhelming the standout wide receiver during extension talks. While Adams Strunk said she had made her decision regardless of the Brown performance, the timing of the separation nevertheless proved interesting.
Riddick, 55, has been a regular on the GM interview circuit. Though, he has not interviewed for a post since the 2022 offseason. The Steelers met with the former NFL exec that year, but three clubs — the Jaguars, Lions and Texans — conducted Riddick meetings in 2021. Riddick, who played in the NFL from 1991-99 before serving as an exec with Washington and Philadelphia, also interviewed for the Giants’ GM job in 2017.
Ex-Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and former Vikings honcho Rick Spielman are running the Jets’ GM and HC searches. Tannenbaum and Riddick were each with the Browns in 1995, the former as a lower-level staffer and the latter a backup DB. More candidates will be included in this hunt, but two unattached aspirants will get the ball rolling here.
Raiders’ Scott Turner On Radar To Become North Carolina OC
Working as the Raiders’ interim offensive coordinator, Scott Turner may end up needing to find another gig in 2025. As the Raiders sit 2-11, they will not be considered certain to retain Antonio Pierce and his staffers for the 2025 season.
Another opportunity could become available soon. The now-Bill Belichick–led North Carolina program is believed to view Turner as a top OC candidate, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes. Unlike Belichick, Turner has a past coaching in college. Though, the second-generation NFL play-caller has spent most of his career in the pros.
Turner, 42, spent three seasons at Pittsburgh (2008-10) and later spent a year on Jim Harbaugh‘s Michigan staff (2017). Neither stint involved coordinator duties, but Turner has climbed to that level with multiple NFL franchises in the years since. Prior to being elevated to his current post after Luke Getsy‘s firing, Turner served as OC for the Panthers and Commanders.
It would be rather interesting if Belichick went in this direction, considering how close the six-time Super Bowl-winning HC is to Josh McDaniels. The latter served as Belichick’s Patriots OC for 13 seasons over two stints. McDaniels also regularly discussed pro and college opportunities with Belichick over the past few months. While a report indicated McDaniels and other ex-Belichick lieutenants were ready to follow the former New England czar wherever he went, it is unclear if that involved a college move as well. McDaniels having hired Turner while in place as Raiders HC adds intrigue here, as it provides a clear connection to Belichick, who has never worked with Turner previously.
Before coming to the Raiders as pass-game coordinator in 2023, Turner served as quarterbacks coach in Carolina; that tenure ended with Ron Rivera‘s firing keying a Norv Turner move out of the OC chair to clear the way for his son. Scott then followed Rivera to Washington, where he was tasked with leading offenses that did not have good answers at quarterback. The Commanders booted Turner after three seasons in which his offense finished outside the top 20 in scoring. This Raiders stint has yet to produce a win; it has also involved Turner coaching Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell and Desmond Ridder in an offense that lost Davante Adams via an early-season trade.
In addition to Turner having worked with McDaniels, he overlapped with Mick Lombardi with the 2023 Raiders. The latter is the son of now-UNC GM Michael Lombardi. Mick is currently stationed as a 49ers senior offensive assistant. McDaniels has not been connected to an NFL job since his Raiders ouster, so it would surprise if he were not considered for the Tar Heels’ play-calling post. Then again, McDaniels has not stopped through the college ranks since beginning his career as a Michigan State graduate assistant in 1999. The underwhelming HC may well be aiming to return to the NFL soon, rather than it being automatic he follows his longtime boss once again.
Bill Belichick Showed Interest In Jets HC Job
Before Bill Belichick officially joined the University of North Carolina, the iconic head coach did his due diligence on the impending NFL hiring cycle. Over the past year, reporters and pundits tried to connect Belichick to a number of NFL coaching gigs, and through it all, there seemed to be one consistent sentiment: he would never return to the Jets.
[RELATED: Bill Belichick To Become UNC Head Coach]
Not so fast, according to Dianna Russini. According to The Athletic reporter, Belichick recently reached out to the Jets organization to express interest in their head coaching job. Brian Costello of the New York Post has confirmed the report, noting that it was Belichick himself who reached out to the Jets.
There were never any formal conversations between the two sides considering the rapid developments with the Tar Heels. Belichick did not speak with Woody Johnson, per Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager, but rather with search committee head (and ex-Jets GM) Mike Tannenbaum. But while Belichick’s camp tested the NFL waters in search for his next coaching gig, it’s shocking that he gave the Jets more than a cursory look.
There’s been tension between the two sides for nearly three decades. Belichick was famously chosen to replace Bill Parcells as the Jets sideline leader, but after only one day in the role, he shocked the NFL world by resigning as “HC of the NYJ.” Belichick was quickly scooped up by the Patriots (who ultimately had to send the Jets a first-round pick), and the head coach proceeded to torment his former franchise over the following years.
Belichick dropped three straight games to the Jets to begin his tenure in New England. After that, the Patriots proceeded to go 38-9 against their division rival (including playoffs), with Belichick earning six Super Bowl rings during that span. The coach has also been publicly critical of Johnson, and he’s carried that rhetoric into his 2024 media role. The Jets were also responsible for launching the 2007 Spygate investigation, a factor that Belichick has always held against the rival (and former protege Eric Mangini). In other words, it would have been a shocking development for the coach to suddenly go crawling back to the organization.
Belichick’s 2000 Jets resignation occurred shortly before Johnson bought the team, with the looming ownership change factoring into Belichick’s desire not to succeed Parcells. Belichick had been Jets DC under Parcells prior to the latter’s succession plan combusting not long after it became official.
On the flip side, if Belichick did return to the NFL, it was assumed he’d be interested in a win-now squad. The Jets were built to contend for a Super Bowl in 2024 before things went off the rail. Belichick has also shown a deep respect for Aaron Rodgers, and with other foundational pieces on both sides of the ball, you could see why any coach would be interested in the Jets job for 2025.
Belichick appears to be committed to UNC for the long haul, so his reported interest in the Jets job would merely be a footnote in his football story. Still, there’s no denying that the pairing would have shocked the NFL world and commanded headlines for much of the offseason.
Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs Set To Have Season-Ending Surgery
9:53pm: As the mainstream media catches up with the early reports, we have begun to collect more information about the nature of Diggs’ injury. According to Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, “Diggs is dealing with a knee cartilage issue.” In recent weeks, the 26-year-old reportedly experienced some swelling, leading to further evaluations and the eventual decision to shut him down for the remainder of the season.
2:39pm: The Cowboys cannot seem to escape the bad injury luck this season. The newest example of this sees cornerback Trevon Diggs set to undergo season-ending knee surgery, per Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. While several reports have been made detailing the Cowboys’ decision to downgrade Diggs to “out” for this week, Glazer and ESPN’s Todd Archer seem to be the only ones at the moment reporting on the potential surgery.
The former-second round pick out of Alabama is in his fifth year of NFL play and the first year of his five-year, $97MM extension. The highly touted defensive back earned first-team All-Pro honors in his sophomore campaign and Pro Bowl honors in both 2021 and 2022. His most prolific season in 2021 saw him lead the league in interceptions (11), interception return yards (142), and interceptions returned for touchdowns (2).
Diggs has not been able to replicate that insane production in the years since and the analytics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has never favored him as one of the league’s best at the position, unlike his teammate DaRon Bland, who had a prolific season of his own just last year. Another limiting factor of late has been a difficulty for Diggs to remain on the field. Diggs missed nearly all of last year with a torn ACL. This season, he has battled a torn calf while also missing two recent games with designations of groin and knee injuries. Archer claims that the surgery to repair his ACL tear from last year has held up and that the new surgery is unrelated.
With the surgery, Diggs is likely to join the 12 other players Dallas has on injured reserve including key contributors like defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence and Sam Williams, guard Zack Martin, and, of course, quarterback Dak Prescott. That’s not to mention players like Bland, wide receiver Brandin Cooks, and defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who recently found their way off of IR.
The Cowboys don’t have much left to fight for in the 2024 NFL season. While they haven’t yet been eliminated from the playoffs, they likely would need to win out and expect some help from others in order to get to the postseason. With the likelihood of a playoff appearance seeming extremely low, it makes sense not to force players back who may end up needing surgery and time to recover. The team has yet to disclose the specifics or severity of Diggs’ knee injury, but per Ed Werder of WFAA, it appears to be significant.
The injury is a disappointing one for Dallas, who just recently saw Bland return. In the last two years, the Cowboys have only seen Bland and Diggs on the field together for three games and only one in which they both started. Like last year, Bland will pick up the immediate slack of Diggs’ absence, while the team will continue piecing together the solution at the other cornerback position.
Jourdan Lewis has started nine games, but he plays primarily in a nickelback role. Rookie fifth-round pick Caelen Carson had started five games but currently resides on IR, himself. Reserves like Josh Butler, Amani Oruwariye, and Andrew Booth will likely be relied upon as injuries continue to decimate America’s Team.
Commanders Activate Jamison Crowder, Elevate Greg Joseph
Jamison Crowder returned to practice this week, signaling that he could be an option for the Commanders in Week 15. The veteran receiver/returner has indeed been activated from injured reserve, per a team announcement. 
A calf injury suffered in Week 3 has kept Crowder out of the fold until this point. He is now healthy, though, and as a result he could take on a returner role for the closing stages of the season. Of course, playing time on offense could also be possible in Crowder’s case.
Noah Brown has been moved to injured reserve, which comes as no surprise. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said on Wednesday Brown is likely to miss the remainder of the campaign, and an IR stint ensures at least a four-week absence. Brown will therefore not be available until at least the wild-card round of the postseason should Washington (8-5) qualify. Crowder has made only 17 catches since joining the Commanders last year, so expectations in that regard will be limited upon return.
In other roster news, Washington has elevated Greg Joseph from the practice squad. The veteran kicker was added to the team’s taxi squad yesterday, and he will provide insurance at the position. Zane Gonzalez practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, but over the past two sessions he has been listed as a full participant. It would therefore come as a surprise if Gonzalez was forced to miss tomorrow’s game, but if that proves to be the case Joseph will be available to take his place.
The Commanders sit only 18th in the NFL in passing yards per game (221) despite rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels‘ strong campaign. Losing Brown could deal a blow to the team’s offense given his status as the top complementary WR option to Terry McLaurin, but if Washington is to reach the playoffs he will not be part of the equation the rest of the way.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/24
Saturday’s minor moves and standard gameday elevations:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: P Michael Palardy
- Placed on IR: RB Emari Demercado, P Blake Gillikin
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from IR: DT Michael Pierce
- Elevated: CB Desmond King, LB William Kwenkeu
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: S Kareem Jackson, QB Mike White
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: RB Mike Boone, LB Jacoby Windmon
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed to active roster: QB Logan Woodside
- Elevated: T Andrew Coker, K Cade York
- Placed on IR: LB Joe Bachie
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: CB Andrew Booth, T Dakoda Shepley
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: G Nick Gargiulo, CB Reese Taylor
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: S Jamal Adams, LB Abraham Beauplan
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: DE DJ Coleman
- Placed on IR: TE Evan Engram (story)
Houston Texans
- Elevated: TE Irv Smith Jr.
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: LB Swayze Bozeman, TE Anthony Firkser
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: WR Laviska Shenault, TE Eric Tomlinson
- Placed on IR: WR Jalen Reagor
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from IR: WR Grant DuBose
- Signed to active roster: DT Matt Dickerson
- Elevated: T Ryan Hayes, LS Zach Triner
- Waived: QB Skylar Thompson
New England Patriots
- Elevated: TE Jack Westover
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from reserve/PUP: DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
- Placed on IR: LB D’Marco Jackson
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: QB Tim Boyle
- Placed on IR: G Jon Runyan (story)
- Elevated: DB Raheem Layne
New York Jets
- Signed to active roster: CB Kendall Sheffield
- Elevated: TE Zack Kuntz, WR Brandon Smith
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: FB Khari Blasingame
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from IR: DT Montravius Adams
- Placed on IR: T Calvin Anderson
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from IR: CB Artie Burns
- Elevated: QB Jaren Hall, RB George Holani
- Placed on IR: S Jerrick Reed II
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: P Jack Browning, S Ryan Neal
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: G Arlington Hambright, TE Thomas Odukoya
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: DT Carl Davis
Demercado has taken a backseat to Florida State third-round rookie Trey Benson, but he has averaged 9.3 yards per carry on 24 carries this year. Palardy will take over punting duties with Gillikin landing on injured reserve.
Jackson signed with Bills in late July, and although he was among the team’s final roster cuts he was immediately retained via a practice squad deal. This elevation means Week 15 will mark his first time spent on the active roster this season. The 36-year-old has started all but 10 of his 203 NFL games, but last season was marred by suspensions which led to his Broncos release. Jackson could suit up for Buffalo down the stretch as a gameday elevation in a bid to rebuild his stock to a degree.
With the playoffs nearly out of reach and quarterback Joe Burrow dealing with a few ailments (wrist and knee), the Bengals don’t seem to be taking any chances. Jake Browning will continue serving as the primary backup, while Woodside’s promotion will allow him to act as the emergency backup.
Adams has seen his biggest NFL roles during his time in Pittsburgh. Though he hasn’t gotten the same number of starts as he had in 2022 and 2023, he’s continued the same level of production. After missing the last four games, he’ll be looking to return to the field as early as tomorrow.