Minor NFL Transactions: 10/13/25

Here are the latest moves from around the NFL,including practice squad elevations for all four teams playing on Monday Night Football:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed off Ravens’ practice squad: S J.T. Gray

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

  • Waived: OL Isaac Alarcon

Washington Commanders

The Bears elevated Moody to kick in their Monday night matchup with the Commanders with Cairo Santos sidelined by a quad injury.

Eagles DE Za’Darius Smith Retires

Za’Darius Smith has taken part in five of the Eagles’ six games this season, but his time with Philadelphia is abruptly coming to an end. The veteran pass rush announced on Instagram Monday that he is retiring.

“Who would’ve thought that a kid from Greenville, Alabama, with just one year of high school football experience, would go on to play professional football in the NFL for 11 incredible years,” Smith’s announcement reads in part. “Football has transformed my life and my family’s lives forever – and for that, I’m forever grateful.”

Smith has served as a starter for much of his career, and he notched four sacks upon arriving via trade in Detroit last season. In spite of that, the three-time Pro Bowler remained unsigned through training camp. One day after opening the campaign, the Eagles signed Smith to a one-year deal. He has played in all five of the team’s games since then, logging a 38% snap share.

Today’s announcement comes as quite the surprise as a result, as Smith was in position to continue handling a rotational role with his latest team. Instead, his NFL career has come to an end. This decision is a personal one and not tied to his playing time in Philadelphia, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. Nevertheless, an Eagles team which entered the campaign with questions about pass rush production will be shorthanded moving forward. This news could steer the team toward a trade for an edge rusher in the near future.

Smith entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Ravens in 2015. He flashed potential with 5.5 sacks as a rookie, and after developing into a regular on defense posted 8.5 sacks in the final year of his rookie contract. That resulted in a big-ticket free agent deal with the Packers, the first of three NFC North teams Smith wound up playing for in his career.

Following his 2022 release from Green Bay, Smith seemed to have a Ravens reunion lined up. In the end, however, he signed with the Vikings. That did not lead to a lengthy tenure in Minnesota, as the Kentucky alum was traded to the Browns after one season. Smith was limited to just one game in 2021, but across his healthy campaigns with Green Bay and Minnesota he amassed 36 sacks. Expectations remained high for continued production with the Browns.

Smith was unable to establish himself as a long-term complement to Myles Garrett with a downturn in sack totals during his one full Cleveland campaign. After Aidan Hutchinson suffered a season-ending injury last year, Smith was named as a candidate to be dealt to the Lions. That took place as expected, and during this past offseason Smith remained in contact with Detroit even after being released in a cost-shedding move.

With no deal being worked out on that front, though, Smith eventually took a pact with the Eagles. The defending Super Bowl champions have lost two straight but they sit at 4-2 on the year and could again find themselves in contention for a deep postseason run in 2025. The team’s plans ahead of the deadline could now include the pursuit of a Smith replacement.

Smith will now turn his attention to his post-playing days at the age of 33. He exits the NFL with 154 combined regular and postseason appearances and nearly $91MM in career earnings.

Eagles Activate LB Nakobe Dean From PUP

The Eagles officially activated Nakobe Dean from the physically unable to perform list, per a team announcement, setting up the fourth-year linebacker to make his 2025 debut on Thursday night against the Giants.

Dean’s activation completes an impressive recovery from a torn patellar tendon suffered in January. He started the season on the PUP list but worked hard to return to practice as soon as he was eligible in Week 5. Dean quickly progressed to full participation and was expected to be ready for the Eagles’ Week 6 appearance on Thursday Night Football despite the short week.

Indeed, the Eagles are confident enough in Dean’s recovery and practice performance that he will play in New York, though the team’s depth at linebacker will not force him into a heavy workload right away. In fact, Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell have played almost every defensive snap for Philadelphia this year, so there may not be much playing time available for a third off-ball linebacker given how often the Eagles use five or more defensive backs. Dean’s return could allow defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to use Campbell as a pass rusher more often.

The Eagles also elevated defensive tackle Gabe Hall from the practice squad for Thursday night’s contest, which is notable because Jalen Carter was a late addition to the injury report with a heel injury, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic. Hall’s elevation indicates that Philadelphia is unsure of Carter will be available for the game.

Traded Draft Picks For 2026

Many clubs have made moves to acquire 2026 draft capital. Headlined by the seven trades where first-round picks have changed hands, here are the 2026 picks to have changed hands thus far. When more deals involving picks are made (or conditions on moves already completed become known), that information will be added.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Lawrence, Eagles

Jerry Jones is optimistic the Cowboys will have most of their injured players back in the next couple of weeks. The Cowboys are without starters CeeDee Lamb and Tyler Booker on offense, but neither is on IR. That duo will be set to return soon, while cornerback Caelen Carson is in the IR-return window. Rookie running back Phil Mafah will also be an option to come off IR. Jones expressed more hesitancy during a 105.3 The Fan appearance (via The Athletic’s Jon Machota) regarding DeMarvion Overshown and Cooper Beebe. The longtime owner/GM said he does not expect either to return until after the Cowboys’ Week 10 bye. Though, Jones did inject some optimism here by mentioning he does not expect the linebacker or center to miss much (if any) time beyond that point.

Overshown is recovering from a severe knee injury, which resulted in ACL, MCL and PCL tears. A September report pointed to October as a possible early return window; Jones’ latest offering pours cold water on that. Overshown, who missed his entire 2023 rookie season due to an ACL tear, looks likelier to come back at some point in November. Beebe has missed the past three Cowboys contests with a lateral ankle sprain and fractured foot. A return shortly after Dallas’ Week 10 bye would be in line with the initial recovery timetable provided.

Here is the latest from the NFC East:

  • The Cowboys benched Kaiir Elam in Week 5, doing so after he started the team’s first four games. DaRon Bland had already returned in time for Week 4, complementing Trevon Diggs after the duo had barely played together since Diggs’ September 2023 ACL tear. Elam still played 35 defensive snaps in a rotational role during a blowout win over the Jets, but via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Reddy Steward lined up in the slot alongside Diggs and Bland. Elam has worked as an outside corner but has not shown much improvement from his Bills days. The Cowboys did not pick up the 2022 first-rounder’s fifth-year option in May.
  • Dexter Lawrence has seen some less accomplished defensive tackles pass him over since he signed his Giants extension (four years, $90MM) in May 2023. The Giants gave him an incentive package in July, and The Athletic’s Dan Duggan details those markers. Lawrence can earn $1.5MM in playing time-based incentives, with $500K escalators in place for 51%, 60% and 70% of the Giants’ defensive snaps this season. An additional $1.5MM in performance incentives are present, with those benchmarks including separate $500K bumps for five-, six- and seven-sack seasons. With the same three-tiered setup in place for the performance marks, Lawrence must become a first- or second-team All-Pro — and see the Giants improve on either total yardage, yards per carry or yards per pass from 2024 — to cash in on any of the $500K levels.
  • The Commanders benched Brandon Coleman last month, turning to fourth-year option Chris Paul at left guard. This was part of a multi-guard changeover, with Andrew Wylie replacing ex-Chiefs teammate Nick Allegretti at RG (while Sam Cosmi finishes his ACL rehab). Coleman’s health contributed to the benching, per Kliff Kingsbury, who said (via NBC4Sports’ JP Finlay) nagging injuries partially contributed to the demotion. Coleman, who started 12 games as a rookie, has not played since Week 2.
  • Landon Dickerson made it back from preseason meniscus surgery to play in Week 1, but he will be sidelined for the Eagles‘ Thursday-night matchup against the Giants. Dickerson sustained an ankle injury against the Broncos and has been ruled out for Week 6, with the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane indicating a two-game absence is likely in play for the Pro Bowl guard. Brett Toth replaced Dickerson at LG. Elsewhere on the Eagle injury front, long snapper Charley Hughlett underwent successful core muscle surgery, per his agent. Placed on IR last week, Hughlett is expected to miss multiple months.

Nakobe Dean Expected To Make Season Debut On Thursday

Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean is on the verge of making his 2025 debut. He’s expected to play on Thursday against the NFC East rival Giants, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. The Eagles placed Dean on the reserve/PUP list in August, and he sat out their first five games while recovering from a knee injury. He returned to practice last week.

A third-round pick in 2022, Dean finally broke through last season before suffering a torn patellar tendon during a wild-card round win over the Packers. The former Georgia standout set new career highs with 15 starts, 128 tackles, three sacks, and an interception, helping the Eagles to a 14-3 record and a division championship. However, Dean’s knee injury shelved him for the Eagles’ final three playoff games, including a 40-22 rout of the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

The Eagles have made a couple of notable transactions at linebacker since last season ended, calling Dean’s future with the organization into question. The team locked up 2024 breakout star Zack Baun to a three-year, $51MM contract in March and then selected Jihaad Campbell in the first round (31st overall) of the draft. Baun has opened this season playing 100 percent of defensive snaps during the Eagles’ 4-1 start, while Campbell isn’t far behind (95.5).

While Baun committed a costly unnecessary roughness penalty in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Broncos last Sunday, he has enjoyed another terrific year. Meanwhile, Campbell has made a seamless transition from Alabama to Philadelphia. As a result, Dean may not see as much playing time in coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense as he did a year ago, when he ranked fourth among Eagles defenders in snaps.

A drop in snaps wouldn’t be ideal for Dean, who’s due to reach free agency in the offseason, but he’ll nonetheless give Philadelphia another quality defender upon his return. Having faced quarterbacks Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, Baker Mayfield, and Bo Nix over the first five weeks of the season, the Eagles’ defense ranks a middling 16th in points per game allowed and 20th in yards. The Eagles could have an easier time this week against Giants rookie Jaxson Dart, and Dean’s presence should help their cause.

49ers, Rams, Seahawks, Bills, Patriots, Jaguars, Eagles Seen As Possible Buyers At Trade Deadline

We are a month away from the November 4 trade deadline, and the league’s contingent of buyers and sellers is starting to take shape. Eric D. Williams of Fox Sports identifies a handful of teams that league sources believe could be active buyers.

That includes a trio of NFC West clubs: the 49ers, Rams, and Seahawks. All three of those teams currently sport winning records, and even the division’s fourth-place outfit, the Cardinals, are 2-2 (their two losses have come by a combined four points). It therefore stands to reason that the combatants in what could be a tightly-contested division will be seeking any possible advantage at the deadline.

Moving over to the AFC East, Williams’ sources name the Bills and Patriots as potential buyers. The Bills, who have become a perennial contender in the Josh Allen era, are just one of two undefeated teams left after the first four weeks of the campaign, and Buffalo may be on the lookout for upgrades as it tries to break through to the Super Bowl after a number of recent postseason heartbreaks.

New England, at 2-2, was not necessarily expected to contend this year. New head coach Mike Vrabel and second-year quarterback Drake Maye presented reasons for optimism in Foxborough, but the general consensus was that the club — which underwent more than 50% roster turnover from 2024-25 and which entered the regular season as the league’s fifth-youngest team (h/t ESPN’s Mike Reiss) — was still at least a year away from true competitiveness.

And that still may be the case. After all, much can change between now and the first week of November, and even tonight’s matchup with the division-rival Bills could go a long way towards solidifying the Pats’ status as legitimate contender or otherwise.

After a last-second loss to the Bengals in Week 2, the Jaguars bounced back with victories over the Texans and Niners to improve their record to 3-1. As Williams notes, the rookie GM/HC duo of James Gladstone and Liam Coen both cut their NFL teeth with the Rams, whose Les Snead/Sean McVay operation has developed a reputation for making bold strikes.

Ditto Eagles GM Howie Roseman, and Philadelphia – the league’s other undefeated club – is unsurprisingly named by Williams’ sources as another team that could look to acquire talent in advance of the deadline. Per OverTheCap.com, the Eagles also have just shy of $12MM in cap space, so they should have the flexibility to make a move or two.

The Patriots, 49ers, and Seahawks are all in the top-five in terms of cap room as of the time of this writing, and the Rams are just outside the top-10. The Bills, with just $2.57MM of space, could have a harder time making a splash acquisition.

Eagles WRs A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith Frustated By Role In Offense; Team Does Not Plan To Trade Brown

The Eagles’ top two wide receivers, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, are frustrated with their role in Philadelphia’s offense, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required). While confirming Brown’s frustrations, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com report that the team has no intention of trading the three-time Pro Bowler (which echoes Russini’s report from last month, in which she noted that Philadelphia shot down offseason trade inquiries into Brown).

Though the defending Super Bowl champions are off to a 4-0 start, Rapoport and Garafolo say that promising record has been “highly scrutinized” due to the nature of the club’s offense (the Eagles rank 30th in yards per game, though they are seventh in points per game). As a league source told Russini, “[r]ight now, for the Eagles, it’s run, run, run, (Jalen) Hurts off-schedule pass, tush push. For their receivers, that means when they get to the red zone, they aren’t getting the ball — and they know it. Hence the frustrations.”

While Smith has remained quiet, Brown has been more open about his dissatisfaction. Shortly after the team’s Week 4 victory over the Bucs, he posted the following scripture to his X account: “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way” (via NFL.com’s Nick Shook).

During a media session on Wednesday, Brown offered clarity on the post. 

“First off, I want to start off by saying, obviously, Sunday after the game I let my frustrations boil over,” he said (via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “I didn’t speak to the media. I had a chance to correct my frustrations and I continued to let it boil over and that’s on me. I take full accountability on that.”

He went on to say that the message was not directed at anyone in particular, including his general manager, head coach, or quarterback. However, he also added, “I don’t think it’s a bad thing for wanting the ball.”

As a rival head coach told Russini, Brown is likely not frustrated by the number of targets he has received (28 through four games), but rather the type of targets and the situation they come in. 

Brown seemed to confirm as much on Wednesday, saying, “[i]t’s not just for targets or anything, to put numbers up, no. I see that we’re struggling, and I’m a guy that wants the ball in those times when we can’t find a way. Give it to me. When the game’s on the line, give the ball to me.”

That is what happened when the Eagles were trailing 26-7 in their comeback win over the Rams. As Philadelphia fought its way back into the game, Hurts threw contested balls to Brown that resulted in completions, and Brown ended the game with six catches for 109 yards and a score. In the team’s other three contests combined, the Ole Miss product has tallied eight receptions for 42 scoreless yards.

Of course, the Eagles have a new offensive coordinator in Kevin Patullo, and Brown missed a significant portion of training camp due to a hamstring injury. The Rapoport/Garafolo duo thinks Hurts will try to get Brown the ball early and often in the Eagles’ Week 5 bout against the Broncos, and Russini likewise believes Patullo could try to script plays for both Brown and Smith early in games. She also says GM Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni have had private conversations with Brown in an effort to manage the situation.

Obviously, a happy and productive tandem at the top of their WR depth chart will go a long way towards the Eagles’ efforts to repeat. That is why the team does not plan to entertain trade inquiries on Brown (the same may be true of Smith, though Rapoport and Garafolo do not mention him in their report). 

If the team did consider moving Brown, sources tell Rapoport and Garafolo he could fetch a monster package similar to the one the Cowboys recently landed for star edge rusher Micah Parsons. And Russini reports rival executives are monitoring the situation, believing Roseman could change his stance.

“They are paying roughly $50 million to two wide receivers (Brown and Smith), and they aren’t even that involved,” one GM told Russini. “They may move on simply because Philly is a run-heavy team.”

For his part, Brown says he does not want to leave Philly.

“This is my home, you know? I did it to myself,” he said. “But this is my home, man. I love it here. But you just see frustration because obviously we want to be great and most definitely I want to be great, as well.”

As the rival GM referenced above noted, both Brown and Smith are on high-end contracts. Brown is under club control through 2029, while Smith’s current deal expires after the 2028 season.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/3/25

Today’s practice squad transactions as we head into the weekend:

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Yesterday, the Eagles released Powell-Ryland and Ricks and signed Henry and Sykes, making today a complete undoing of yesterday’s moves. Since failing to make Philadelphia’s initial 53-man roster, Ricks has been signed and released three times, making this his fourth time signing to the taxi squad.

Powell-Ryland is catching up to Ricks after being signed, released, and then signed again in each of the last three days. Similarly, this is Sykes’ second one-day stay on the practice squad, and Henry’s first after joining yesterday. It seems likely that the Eagles have worked out some handshake deals that allow them to keep some regulars nearby to fill out the practice squad without going over the 16-man limit.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/2/25

Today’s practice squad moves:

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: CB Keenan Garber

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

The Chargers added a familiar face in Sam Mustipher today. A former UDFA, the offensive lineman started 40 of his 43 appearances with the Bears to begin his career, playing the majority of his snaps at center. He got into nine games with the Ravens in 2023 before appearing in 12 contests with the Chargers in 2024. Mustipher also has the ability to play guard, although the Chargers are especially needy at OT with Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater sidelined.

Dante Pettis will also be reuniting with a recent team, as the wideout spent the 2024 season in New Orleans. The former second-round pick has failed to live up to his draft billing, with the majority of his career production coming during a rookie campaign where he collected 27 receptions for 467 yards and five touchdowns. He’s bounced around the league a bit since his 49ers tenure came to an end. After not getting into a game in 2023, he resurfaced with the Saints in 2024, where he added 12 more catches to his resume. He was among the team’s final preseason cuts in 2025.

A former fifth-round running back, Avery Williams has made a name for himself as a returner. He spent four years in Atlanta, returning 54 kickoffs for 1211 yards (22.4-yard average). He missed the 2023 campaign with a torn ACL. The Jets returners have struggled in 2025, with both Xavier Gipson and Isaiah Williams fumbling on special teams.

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