Vikings Sign LB Jamin Davis, Place LB Ivan Pace On IR
The Vikings made a handful of changes to their linebackers corps today. The team’s newest addition is Jamin Davis, who was signed to the 53-man roster from the Packers practice squad. The team also activated linebacker Gabe Murphy off injured reserve and placed linebacker Ivan Pace on IR.
A former first-round pick by the Commanders, Davis was let go by Washington last month. The linebacker showed flashes through his first three seasons in the NFL, including 2022 and 2023 campaigns where he started 28 games while compiling 193 total tackles, six sacks, and two forced fumbles. With a new staff in Washington, Davis found himself on the outside looking in with his squad. After having his fifth-year option declined, the fourth-year player only saw time on 86 defensive snaps in five games this year.
Davis was quickly scooped up by the Packers, who stashed the new addition on the practice squad. After spending almost one month on Green Bay’s taxi squad, Davis will return to an active roster in Minnesota.
The newest addition will likely be taking the spot held by Pace, who has started all nine of his appearances in 2024. The former UDFA has settled into an important role as a sophomore, collecting 59 tackles and three sacks. Pace suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday that limited him to only five defensive snaps. He’ll now have to miss at least the next four games, with his earliest return marked for December 29 against the Packers.
Blake Cashman will continue to lead the linebackers depth chart, with Kamu Grugier-Hill and Brian Asamoah mixing in with Davis for the leftover snaps. The team clearly likes Murphy, a UDFA out of UCLA, but the rookie will likely be eyeing a special teams role for the stretch run of the season. Murphy landed on IR before the season with a knee injury.
Rams TE Tyler Higbee To Return To Practice This Week
Tyler Higbee is set to practice for the first time since suffering a torn ACL and MCL last January. Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters that he’s expecting his tight end to return to practice this week (per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop). Higbee isn’t expected to play on Sunday, and the team could use most of his 21-day activation window before adding the veteran to the active roster.
Higbee tore his ACL during the Rams’ playoff loss to the Lions last January. The tight end landed on the reserve/PUP list to begin the season and has missed each of his team’s first 11 games of the 2024 campaign. Fortunately, the 31-year-old should have an opportunity to add to his resume before the season is through.
“He has made amazing progress, I think we want to get him out on the practice field,” McVay said (via Adam Grosbard of the Orange County Register). “He provides such a great leadership, such a great spark for us in a variety of ways. I don’t know that this week would be the week that he would return, but for him to even be back on the practice field and starting his clock, it’s a real credit to him, to our medical staff and just the overall resolve and resilience of that individual who I have a lot of love and respect for.”
The former fourth-round pick has spent his entire career in Los Angeles, with this ACL tear representing his first prolonged absence in nine seasons. He’s been especially productively over his last five healthy campaigns, averaging 59 receptions per season. Higbee has also come up big in the playoffs, hauling in 19 catches in 10 games.
Los Angeles added Colby Parkinson in free agency on a two-year, $22.5MM deal, and the former Seahawk has earned the bulk of the snaps at the position in 2024. With Higbee back, the Rams will have the opportunity to evaluate their TE grouping ahead of the 2025 season. Higbee is on the books for one more season, with $2MM of the tight end’s 2025 roster bonus already guaranteed.
The Rams are set to receive some additional reinforcement on the offensive line, as McVay said Rob Havenstein is “trending” towards returning to the field this week (via Stu Jackson of the team’s website). The veteran lineman has missed the past three games while nursing an ankle injury. The 32-year-old has started all seven of his appearances in 2024.
Dolphins Expect Bradley Chubb To Play This Season, Unsure On Shaq Barrett’s Status
Spending most of the season shorthanded at their edge-rushing positions, the Dolphins are moving closer to having a significantly deeper group. They have Shaquil Barrett reentering the picture, and the hope of Bradley Chubb coming back before season’s end is not lost.
Chubb has not practiced this season. The former top-five pick has been rehabbing an ACL tear sustained late in a blowout loss to the Ravens in Week 17 of last season. ACL recoveries are different, of course, but nine- to 12-month timetables regularly form for players in recovery. As of October, no timetable was in place for Chubb’s debut. Chubb is nearing 11 months since his New Year’s Eve injury, and time is obviously running out for the 2022 trade pickup to rejoin the Dolphins.
Mike McDaniel nevertheless said he is optimistic Chubb will suit up for the team this season. The Dolphins have lost Jaelan Phillips to another season-ending injury, a knee malady that occurred not long after the team picked up his fifth-year option. Phillips’ Achilles tear in 2023 preceded Chubb’s injury, and the younger Miami EDGE came back in time for Week 1. Chubb’s road back has been much longer.
Via an extension finalized shortly after the trade with the Broncos at the 2022 deadline, the Dolphins have Chubb signed through 2027. No fully guaranteed money remains on his deal beyond this season, but a $10MM injury guarantee is in place. That would only be relevant if Chubb cannot pass a physical by the start of the new league year March 12. As of now, that does not appear to be a Dolphins concern. They presumably also want to continue with Chubb beyond this season, as they traded a first-round pick to acquire him and would owe $27MM-plus in dead money in the event of a release.
The recoveries of Phillips and Chubb prompted the Dolphins to draft Chop Robinson in Round 1 and sign both Barrett and Emmanuel Ogbah. The latter, whom the Dolphins cut early this offseason, has returned to start 10 games. Barrett, 32, coming back could change the Dolphins’ plans. It caught McDaniel by surprise, and the third-year HC said (via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson) he will need to discuss the matter with GM Chris Grier. Barrett and Chubb were teammates on the 2018 Broncos; they soon could reunite, but it does not appear the 2019 NFL sack leader is a lock to rejoin the Dolphins just yet.
Broncos Activate LB Drew Sanders
The Broncos have lost both Baron Browning and Alex Singleton, trading the former and seeing the latter land on IR early. A hybrid player ahead of a third-round NFL entrance, Drew Sanders is on track to help an upper-crust defense soon.
Denver is activating Sanders from the reserve/PUP list, 9News’ Mike Klis notes. Sanders has been down since April, having suffered an Achilles tear during the early days of the team’s offseason program. The Broncos waived Greg Dulcich to make room on their roster and have since seen the former third-rounder land with the Giants via waiver claim.
With Sanders coming back, the Broncos needed to clear a spot. As Josh Reynolds moves toward coming off IR, the 7-5 team will need to make another move if it wishes to activate the free agency pickup. The Broncos only have three activations remaining. Fortunately for the team, the Sanders transaction will not count against that total due to the LB being on the PUP list.
Sanders delivered an interesting final college season, displaying versatility by pairing 9.5 sacks with 103 tackles. The Broncos, who had previously moved Browning from an off-ball linebacker role to the edge years ago, have an interesting option in Sanders. They used Sanders as a spot starter last season; the ex-Arkansas and Alabama cog made four starts and played in all 17 games, making 24 tackles and recovering a fumble.
Sanders’ experience both on and off the ball stands to give Vance Joseph options. The team’s latest third-round pick, Jonah Elliss, has settled in as the team’s top rusher off the bench. Elliss has four of Denver’s NFL-high 44 sacks this season, working behind Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto. Sanders’ blitzing experience stands to help there, while Joseph could also opt to use him at ILB due to Singleton’s injury. Justin Strnad has worked as the primary fill-in alongside Cody Barton, though veterans Kwon Alexander and Zach Cunningham remain in the mix at that position as well.
This marks a fairly quick recovery from an Achilles tear, with Sanders following the likes of Cam Akers, Michael Crabtree and Terrell Suggs in coming back after an offseason tear. The Broncos certainly could look to keep Sanders’ workload light due to barely seven months passing since his injury.
Denver waived offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton as well, pointing to Reynolds’ activation from IR taking place this week. One of a few Saints on Sean Payton‘s second Broncos roster, Throckmorton worked exclusively as a backup this season. A career 27-game starter, Throckmorton played only three offensive snaps this season.
Eagles Claim Charles Harris, Place Brandon Graham On IR
Having lost defensive end regulars Brandon Graham and Bryce Huff in the span of a few days, the Eagles are using the waiver wire for help. They are keeping Charles Harris out of free agency.
The Eagles will claim the veteran edge rusher after his Panthers cut, PHLY.com’s Zach Berman reports. Tied to a veteran-minimum salary, Harris will be due barely $400K for the season’s remainder. Philadelphia is placing Graham on IR to clear space for Harris.
Harris, 29, was the Panthers’ co-leader in sacks (three) this season. Carolina had seen its EDGE situation stabilize, to a degree, with D.J. Wonnum debuting after an extended rehab journey. Harris started six games for the Panthers this season but had seen his playing time dip with Wonnum back alongside Jadeveon Clowney.
The six starts were Harris’ most since 2021. The former Miami first-rounder had spent three seasons in Detroit, working as a spot starter as the Dan Campbell– and Brad Holmes-driven rebuild formed. Harris totaled 7.5 sacks for a 3-13-1 Lions team in 2021 but combined for just 2.5 over the next two seasons. After a regular Panthers role, it would seem more likely Harris settles in as a Eagles rotational backup.
Philly had a deep D-end contingent heading into Week 11 but decided to place Huff on IR due to a wrist injury. Huff is expected back late this season, but Graham is not. Although Graham sacked Matthew Stafford on Sunday night, he did not finish the game. The first 15-year Eagle in franchise history, Graham said postgame he suffered a triceps tear that is likely to keep him out for the rest of the season. Graham, 36, had said in July this would be his final campaign; though, he stopped short of confirming that when asked again Sunday night.
Harris joins a DE group that still houses a healthy Josh Sweat, with 2023 first-rounder Nolan Smith and rookie third-round Jalyx Hunt also in the mix. The waiver claim will become the fourth DE on Philly’s 53-man roster. Hunt has only played 66 defensive snaps this season. Either his workload expands by a notable margin or the Eagles plug Harris in after his run as a Panthers regular.
Giants Claim TE Greg Dulcich, Place Azeez Ojulari On IR
Greg Dulcich has not delivered much in the way of production since his rookie year, but the early promise — and a third-round contract — generated expected interest on the waiver wire. The Giants, who hold the top waiver priority, are stepping in.
Months after Darren Waller retired, the Giants did not let the former Broncos tight end fall too far on the wire. They have claimed his through-2025 contract, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Dulcich had been a healthy scratch for an extended period this season; he should have some more opportunities in New York.
The Giants will accommodate Dulcich’s contract by moving one of their top defenders to IR. Azeez Ojulari, amid a bounce-back season, is heading to the injured list, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds. A toe injury will send the contract-year rusher off the roster. Ojulari does not need surgery, but with the Giants down to six games remaining, a chance he is shut down for the season’s remainder also presumably exists. This marks the third straight season Ojulari will land on IR.
Ojulari generated extensive trade interest, but the Giants — as they did with contract-year wide receiver Darius Slayton — stood pat. The former second-round pick arrived under GM Dave Gettleman and saw the Giants make a blockbuster trade (to acquire Brian Burns) to replace him. A Kayvon Thibodeaux wrist injury, however, moved Ojulari back into the starting lineup. He accumulated six sacks this season, helping the Giants reach the NFL lead in sacks for a stretch despite their struggles overall. New York currently sits fifth in sacks, with 36.
Big Blue had sought a fourth- or fifth-round pick for Ojulari at the deadline but held onto him. Ojulari started five games in Thibodeaux’s absence, but the former No. 5 overall pick returned to action in Week 12. The Burns trade and the Giants’ ability to keep Thibodeaux on his rookie deal through 2026 (via the fifth-year option) looks likely to move Ojulari elsewhere in 2025. His production spurt this season should produce a nice market, but injury troubles have become an issue over the course of his career.
Chosen 50th overall out of Georgia, Ojulari posted eight sacks during a promising rookie season. He landed on IR in 2022 and 2023, due to calf and ankle injuries. Ojulari’s 2023 season featured just 2.5 sacks. Ojulari having tallied 22 over the course of his New York run should still make him an attractive piece in free agency, and the Giants — depending on their free agency activity — would stand to pick up a 2026 compensatory selection if/when he departs.
As for Dulcich, his most notable work came two years ago. Despite entering the NFL for a Broncos team trying to make a doomed Nathaniel Hackett–Russell Wilson partnership work. Dulcich totaled 33 catches for 411 yards and two touchdowns. However, chronic hamstring trouble intervened. Dulcich needed four IR stays combined between 2022 and ’23; three of those came about because of hamstring trouble. Dulcich played only 32 offensive snaps last season, and while he overcame the hamstring issue this year, the Broncos have given their tight end snaps to Adam Trautman and Lucas Krull.
The Giants saw Waller become a New York one-and-done, retiring after another injury-plagued season. The retirement did not come until after the draft, leading the Giants to go into the season shorthanded. The team did draft Theo Johnson in the fourth round and has used him as a 10-game starter. Johnson has 24 receptions for 277 yards this season. Dulcich, 24, has less than $400K left in 2024 salary; he is due a nonguaranteed $1.42MM in 2025.
Commanders Place K Austin Seibert On IR
Austin Seibert returned from a two-game absence in Week 12, but the veteran kicker played a key role in the Commanders’ upset loss to the Cowboys. Two days later, he is heading to IR.
Washington placed Seibert on IR on Tuesday, shutting him down for at least four games. With the Commanders’ bye coming in Week 14, Seibert cannot return until the regular-season finale. A right hip injury had sidelined Seibert in Weeks 11 and 12, but he returned to face Dallas — a game that featured an exciting conclusion but one that involved a Seibert gaffe. It is not the hip matter that will send him to IR, via the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala; instead, a groin malady will do so.
A bad snap preceded Seibert missing what would have been a game-tying extra point, coming just after a miraculous Jayden Daniels-to-Terry McLaurin score revived the Commanders’ effort. The Commanders have another kicker option rostered, with Zane Gonzalez still on their practice squad. Washington moved running back Chris Rodriguez to its active roster, quickly filling Seibert’s spot.
The Commanders added Gonzalez, who had not kicked in a game since 2021, earlier this month. Gonzalez became the third kicker for the team this season, but the 7-5 squad has gone through several since the league year began. Moving on from Joey Slye in March, the Commanders signed Brandon McManus. Allegations of sexual assault led to McManus being dropped in June, and Ramiz Ahmed being signed. Ahmed entered training camp as Washington’s only kicker, but the team claimed Riley Patterson off waivers. Patterson struggling in the preseason led to him being cut and a Cade York acquisition via trade (from the Browns) transpiring. Finally, the Seibert addition came after York fared poorly in the opener.
A sixth-year vet, Seibert is 27-for-30 on field goals. He missed one from beyond 50 yards Sunday, before the PAT miss. For the season, Seibert is 22-for-24 on PATs. Gonzalez made 3 of 3 field goals and all four extra points he tried in relief of Seibert. If the Commanders are to make the playoffs, they will have a decision to make at kicker due to Seibert’s mandated absence.
Dolphins To Waive S Marcus Maye
Among the handful of safety cap casualties this offseason, Marcus Maye will join Jamal Adams and Eddie Jackson in being cut twice in 2024. The Dolphins are moving on from the longtime starter, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.
This exit follows Maye’s Saints departure earlier this year, though it is not yet certain the Dolphins are ending this partnership for good. If Maye clears waivers, Pelissero adds Miami would like to keep him around via a practice squad deal.
Similar to the Broncos’ Greg Dulcich cut Monday, the Dolphins have roster space to clear in order to go through with an activation. Safety Patrick McMorris is set to fill Maye’s spot on the 53-man roster, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson adds. Miami designated Morris for return November 7, meaning he must be activated or moved to season-ending IR by Thursday.
A sixth-round rookie, McMorris will soon jump ahead of Maye in the Dolphins’ safety hierarchy. McMorris has indeed been activated from IR, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. This transaction leaves Miami with four injury activations remaining this season.
That said, the Dolphins still could elevate Maye from the practice squad — should the former Jets second-round pick clear waivers and stay with the team — to continue using him a supporting role in their secondary. Maye, who signed a one-year deal worth $1.38MM in June, played in all 11 Dolphins games and made three starts this season.
Perennially needing to carve out extensive cap space each offseason, the Saints released Maye after two seasons. He missed 10 games due to injury and a personal conduct suspension last season. This season with the Dolphins, the former franchise tag recipient made 30 tackles and forced a fumble. Pro Football Focus had viewed the 31-year-old defender as having a bounce-back year, slotting him 21st among safety regulars (over 293 defensive snaps). The Dolphins, however, have Jevon Holland and fellow cap casualty-turned-starter Jordan Poyer as their primary back-line duo.
Although a few of this year’s safety cuts are still with teams (Poyer, Justin Simmons, Quandre Diggs, Kevin Byard), Adams has not resurfaced since his Titans release while the Ravens cut Jackson this weekend. Adams’ former teammate in New York, Maye has made 80 career starts. A team to submit a claim would owe him just more than $400K for the season’s remainder.
Bucs’ Jordan Whitehead To Miss Time
NOVEMBER 26: The MRI has brought back encouraging news, and NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo notes no surgery will be required in this case. Whitehead is set to miss time, but he could return to the Buccaneers later in the campaign or during the postseason.
NOVEMBER 25: The Buccaneers’ Week 12 win may have included a notable injury in the secondary. Safety Jordan Whitehead is believed to have suffered a torn pec, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. 
An MRI will take place today to confirm the diagnosis, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times adds. Provided the team’s fears turn out to be true, Whitehead will be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign. His absence would leave the Buccaneers without a full-time safety starter down the stretch.
Whitehead spent his first four seasons with Tampa Bay, and upon seeing his rookie deal expire he joined the Jets. The former fourth-rounder started all 34 of his games for New York, racking up six total interceptions along the way. He returned to the Bucs in free agency, inking a two-year, $9MM pact. Prior to going down on Sunday, Whitehead recorded 76 tackles and three pass deflections in 2024.
Antoine Winfield Jr. has missed time this year, but his return to action paved the way for his starting safety tandem with Whitehead to continue through to the end of the campaign. Instead, the latter’s injury will create a first-team vacancy at the position. Mike Edwards – who was claimed off waivers less than two weeks ago – could be in line for an increased workload during his second Tampa Bay stint.
Edwards played for the Bucs from 2019-22, and after falling out of the rotation for the Bills this season he was waived following the trade deadline. Tampa Bay’s decision to claim him marked another safety reunion not long after the one with Whitehead, and it could prove to be key to the team’s postseason push over the coming weeks. The Buccaneers sit at 5-6 on the year, one game behind the Falcons for top spot in the NFC South.
Defense has been a sore spot in a number of categories this season, with Tampa Bay ranking 29th in passing yards allowed per game. Losing Whitehead would hinder the team’s secondary, although having a familiar option in the form of Edwards could help smooth out the process of replacing him in the starting lineup. Whitehead is owed $4.5MM next year, but none of his scheduled base salary for the season ($3.75MM) is guaranteed, so his progress in recovering from the injury could be key in determining whether or not he remains with the team for 2025.
Raiders Designate QB Aidan O’Connell For Return; Daniel Jones Rules Out Las Vegas
NOVEMBER 26: The Raiders do indeed plan to start O’Connell this week, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports. With Minshew sidelined for the remainder of the year, O’Connell will be in place to retain QB1 duties the rest of the way.
NOVEMBER 25: Gardner Minshew failed to finish a Raiders-Broncos game for the second time, with the oft-benched quarterback going down with a broken collarbone yesterday. Antonio Pierce confirmed reports of the break Monday and said Aidan O’Connell is in play to return this week.
The Raiders have since designated O’Connell for return from IR. This marked the second-year quarterback’s first week of return eligibility. The Raiders will now have 21 days to activate the QB to the active roster, but it sounds like O’Connell could return as soon as Black Friday. The signal caller has been rehabbing a broken thumb suffered in late October.
With Minshew failing to impress to begin the campaign, O’Connell eventually took over atop the depth chart. He got his first start in Week 6, completing 27 of his 40 pass attempts for 227 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. However, he was knocked out of his second start after only 14 snaps, and his placement on IR kept him off the field for the past four games.
In four appearances this season, O’Connell completed 63.4 percent of his passes for two touchdowns and two interceptions. This followed a 2023 campaign where the rookie fourth-round pick went 5-5 while throwing 12 touchdowns vs. 11 interceptions. While the Raiders are well outside of the playoff picture, O’Connell will still have a chance to build on his career numbers for the stretch run of the season.
He could also make an argument for the QB1 role ahead of the 2025 campaign. O’Connell remains attached to his rookie contract through 2026, while Minshew was added on a two-year pact in the spring. The Raiders should also be armed with a top pick in next year’s draft, so there’s a chance the team adds another QB to the mix before the start of the 2025 season.
With Minshew being lost for the season, the Raiders will no longer have to make a decision following O’Connell’s activation. Minshew improved on his turnovers over his past four starts, with the veteran tossing five scores vs. two picks over that span. When the QB was knocked out of yesterday’s game, he was replaced by Desmond Ridder, who completed five of 10 passes while also taking a pair of sacks.
Considering the Raiders’ inconsistent play at the position in 2024, they’ve been mentioned as a natural suitor for Daniel Jones. While the team did indeed show some interest in the former Giants starter, the quarterback has “eliminated Las Vegas from consideration,” per Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report. Jones has received interest from “multiple” playoff squads and is interested in joining a contender.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.