Friday’s taxi squad moves:
Green Bay Packers
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Minnesota Vikings
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
This has been a busy week for Tonyan transactions. The Vikings dropped him from their 53-man roster to their practice squad the same day, as vested vets are allowed to do before the trade deadline, and are now elevating the veteran tight end. Tonyan has played in four Vikings games this season but has yet to catch a pass. His return to the active roster comes as the team ruled out T.J. Hockenson, who remains in the PUP-return window. Hockenson’s window closes Friday, pointing to a Week 9 debut.
Here are today’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
Minnesota Vikings
Pittsburgh Steelers
Washington Commanders
The Ravens finally activated Maulet to the 53-man roster at the very end of his 21-day return window. The veteran slot cornerback underwent arthroscopic knee surgery during the preseason, but dealt with a minor hamstring injury upon his return to practice. To make room, Baltimore waived Ross, a special teams starter, likely hoping to add him back to the practice squad if he clears waivers. Maulet’s return could not be coming at a better time for a Ravens pass defense that was already struggling before starting cornerback Marlon Humphrey left Monday night’s victory over the Buccaneers with an injury.
The Panthers signed Gill off the Lions’ practice squad and Harris off the Dolphins’ practice squad to fortify their defense on Tuesday. They also released Haynes and waived Wooten and Smith as part of an overhaul of their weak front seven.
The Giants signed Watts from their practice squad to strengthen the interior of their defensive line while waiving Basham, a former Bills second-round pick who arrived in New York via trade in August 2023. Giants general manager Joe Schoen was the assistant GM in Buffalo when Basham was drafted, while Giants head coach Brian Daboll was the Bills’ offensive coordinator. Schoen traded a sixth-round pick in exchange for Basham and a seventh-rounder from the Bills just before the 2023 regular season, but Basham did not record a single sack in 13 games as a Giant.
Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
Prince played under Brian Callahan in Cincinnati but has only played two games over the past two seasons. A six-game starter with the Dolphins and Bengals, Prince missed all of the 2020 season due to a COVID-19 opt-out and then all of the 2022 season due to injury.
The Vikings cut Tonyan from their 53-man roster earlier today, but because the NFC North mainstay is a vested veteran, he did not need to clear waivers before joining Minnesota’s practice squad. With T.J. Hockenson on the way back, Tonyan profiles as insurance.
This is a third chance for Marshall. The Panthers waived him after three seasons. No team claimed the former second-round pick, with Joe Brady‘s Bills passing. The 49ers took a flier soon after but released him last week.
C.J. Henderson has earned a promotion to Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Steelers have signed the practice-squad cornerback to the active roster.
The former first-round pick joined the Steelers practice squad in late September. While today’s move comes after Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson aggravated his shoulder injury last night, Rapoport notes that Henderson was also drawing interest from other cornerback-needy squads. By adding Henderson to the active roster, the Steelers now control the player’s fate this season.
The ninth-overall pick in the 2020 draft, Henderson showed flashes as a rookie with the Jaguars, hauling in an interception to go along with 36 tackles. He ended his rookie campaign on IR with a shoulder injury, and he only got into two games with Jacksonville in 2021 before getting dealt to Carolina. He ultimately spent two-plus seasons with the Panthers, finding himself in and out of the starting lineup. Pro Football Focus was never especially fond of Henderson’s performance, with the site often giving him one of the worst positional grades in pass coverage.
After hitting free agency this past offseason, Henderson quickly caught on with the Texans. He was among the team’s final cuts, and it took him about a month before he got an offer from the Steelers.
Joey Porter Jr. and Jackson have soaked up the majority of Pittsburgh’s snaps at CB this season, although the latter has been limited in each of the past two weeks while dealing with his shoulder injury. With Beanie Bishop Jr. penciled in as the nickelback, James Pierre has been tasked with filling in during Week 6 and Week 7, with the former UDFA getting into a season-high 35 snaps yesterday. With only those four aforementioned CBs on the active roster, Henderson could be in line for a role if Jackson if forced to miss any time.
Russell Wilson will make his regular season Steelers debut tonight, having fully recovered from his calf injury. The move to place him atop the quarterback depth chart came after Justin Fields helped guide the team to a 4-2 record, and it does not appear to have been the preference of some staff members. 
When speaking with Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, head coach Mike Tomlin noted he acted alone in tapping Wilson as Pittsburgh’s starter (video link). QB decisions are, of course, the purview of a head coach but they come amongst consultation with other members of the offensive coaching staff. Tomlin acknowledged he will solely bear the responsibility of the Wilson decision should it not work out, an indication of the support Fields has in the organization.
The former Bears first-rounder received extra first-team reps in training camp once Wilson was injured, and as the only healthy member of the pair in September he did not face competition for the starting gig. Wilson returned to practice recently, and after a full week handling reps with the first-team offense signs pointed to him getting the nod. Attached to a one-year deal, Wilson entered the offseason atop the depth chart but Fields’ performances in camp and the preseason earned him favor amongst Pittsburgh’s decision-makers.
Indeed, a report from earlier this month noted Fields did not appear to be in immediate danger of losing his starting gig. The 25-year-old helped guide Pittsburgh to a strong showing in the running game during his time at the helm, but the team entered Week 7 ranked just 28th in passing production and 20th overall in scoring. Wilson will be tasked with improving on those totals, although the door is open to Fields seeing some playing time in spite of his demotion.
The Steelers will host the Jets to close out Sunday’s action, and one of the team’s key storylines will be Wilson’s play during his first contest since his ill-fated Broncos tenure came to a close. If the former Seahawks Super Bowl winner struggles, calls from inside and outside the building will no doubt grow for Tomlin to reverse his decision.
While all signs have pointed to the Steelers pivoting to Russell Wilson, there hadn’t been any true confirmation about the team’s QB status for Sunday night. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has appeared to provide a definitive report, tweeting that Wilson will indeed get the start at quarterback for the Steelers tomorrow against the Jets.
[RELATED: Steelers’ Russell Wilson Expects To Play In Week 7]
Rapoport did provide a minor wrinkle, noting that both Wilson and Justin Fields are expected to play. However, Wilson is expected to receive the “bulk” of the snaps at the position.
Wilson all but confirmed his QB1 spot earlier this week when he discussed his “first game of the year.” According to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, wideout George Pickens seemed to admit the same, telling reporters that he was working overtime this week in anticipation of Wilson’s “first start.” Head coach Mike Tomlin continued to play coy this week regarding the team’s decision, although that was most likely due to gamesmanship vs. a lack of a true commitment.
Fields hasn’t necessarily been a world beater in 2024, but he has played a significant role in Pittsburgh’s 4-2 start. The former Bears first-round pick is completing a career-high 66.3 percent of his passes while achieving a 5:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Fields is also still dynamic on the ground, collecting 231 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
Considering Wilson’s underwhelming play in recent seasons, the sudden pivot has surprised many pundits around the NFL. Dianna Russini of The Athletic went looking for an explanation, with some sources pointing to potential trade compensation as a reason for the change. If Fields gets into at least 51 percent of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps, the Steelers will owe the Bears a fourth-round pick instead of a sixth-round pick. Russini is skeptical that Tomlin would consider this in his QB decision, but it is still notable speculation.
Russini notes that others are questioning Tomlin’s decision to have Wilson make his season debut against a tough Jets defense. A Week 8 debut against the Giants would be a much softer landing, although Russini notes that the Steelers may have had no choice but to stick with Fields if he had a solid outing tomorrow night.
OCTOBER 19: For the time being, at least, talks between the Jets and Steelers about Williams are on hold. Negotiations will be paused until after the teams play each other tomorrow, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Rich Cimini report. Depending on how that contest – which Williams is set to take part in – plays out, it will be interesting to see how Pittsburgh and New York proceed.
OCTOBER 17: For the second time this year, Mike Williams has generated trade discussions. Months after talks in March, he is not attached to a high-end contract a team is desperate to move. Though, the team that authorized Williams’ 2022 deal is back in on the suddenly available wide receiver.
The Chargers are among the teams to have inquired with the Jets on Williams, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, who reports the Saints and Steelers have reached out on the eighth-year veteran as well. Following their Davante Adams acquisition, the Jets are prepared to move on from Williams.
No move is expected this week, but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds Williams would be open with being moved out of New York. Although he has not assimilated too well into the Jets’ Aaron Rodgers-orchestrated offense — to the point the four-time MVP was critical of his route on a late-game interception — enough teams are still in need at the position that a deal should be made eventually. The Jets have until Nov. 5 to move on via trade.
The Bolts dangled Williams in trades just before the 2024 league year began, attempting to move his $20MM-per-year contract to reach cap compliance. They ended up doing so via release, cutting the Clemson alum before trading Keenan Allen to the Bears. The Patriots were linked to Williams at the time, before becoming tied to a few other receivers, but it is not known if New England is back in on the former top-10 pick. Williams, 30, however, is generating interest from other clubs who have been linked to WRs this year.
Pittsburgh joined New England in the Brandon Aiyuk market, beating out other suitors in agreeing to trade framework with San Francisco. Although the Steelers waited out that situation for weeks, Aiyuk signed a 49ers extension. This left Pittsburgh thin at receiver, with no clear complement to George Pickens emerging through six games. Known more for trading wideouts for draft picks rather than acquiring them, the Steelers have been scouring the market since Aiyuk ultimately passed. Omar Khan‘s team, however, was in on Adams. Though, the three-year Raiders wideout had been more interested in reuniting with Rodgers or Derek Carr.
Lacking the cap space to take on Adams’ contract without significant payroll adjustments, the Saints ended up seeing the Jets do so. After starting 2-0, New Orleans has lost four straight. The team is also heading into its Thursday-night matchup with Denver down both its top pass catchers. Chris Olave is in concussion protocol, and Rashid Shaheed is undergoing an exploratory meniscus surgery that leaves the rest of his season in doubt. With HC Dennis Allen‘s job on the line and GM Mickey Loomis 0-for-7 in playoff appearances without Sean Payton (the first four misses coming during the Aaron Brooks years), it makes sense the Saints are looking into available wideouts.
Jim Harbaugh‘s new Bolts regime bailed on Williams, doing so as he was rehabbing a torn ACL. The 6-foot-4 playmaker had battled injuries in Los Angeles but was available enough to post two 1,000-yard seasons alongside Allen. The younger of Justin Herbert‘s two long-running targets, Williams also totaled 895 receiving yards in 13 games in 2022. A back injury sustained in a meaningless Week 18 game in Denver sidelined Williams for the Chargers’ wild-card game in Jacksonville, which turned into a historic collapse. He then suffered the ACL injury in Week 3 of last season.
Harbaugh’s squad looked into other veteran receivers following Allen and Williams’ exits, eventually drafting Ladd McConkey early in the second round. Herbert has gone from a high-octane passer to a carefully managed option in Greg Roman‘s run-oriented offense. A familiar face returning could jumpstart the standout quarterback, but it is unclear if the Bolts are prepared to pay the roughly $3MM remaining of Williams’ 2024 salary. The rest of Williams’ money on a one-year, $10MM Jets deal has either been paid out in salary or is tied up in void years that will create a bit of dead money if/when the wideout is traded.
Williams was listed as a non-practice participant for a personal reason Wednesday. This presumably pertains to his status on the trade block. The trade candidate did resurface at the Jets’ facility Thursday, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets, though the veteran reporter adds Williams is again not practicing. This would point to the in-limbo receiver not playing in Week 7.
Before Williams slipped on the MetLife Stadium turf, leading to a crucial Taron Johnson INT, he had caught only 10 passes for 145 yards in six Jets games. He may well be done in a Jets uniform, but the team would technically still have the option of playing him after Adams debuts (which is expected this weekend). That said, it would surprise if Williams remained a Jet for too much longer.
Today’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad callups:
Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Autry was hit with a six-game PED suspension in July, leaving the Texans without a key figure along the defensive line. The free agent pickup could have suited up by means of Houston using his one-week roster exemption; instead, he has been activated in time for Week 7. Autry, 34, posted a career-high 11 sacks last season and he will look to make an immediate impact during his Texans debut. Especially with Mario Edwards having been issued a four-game suspension of his own earlier this week, he should have a notable role right away.
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
Denver Broncos
Pittsburgh Steelers