NFL DB Injury Updates: Seahawks, Steelers, Gonzalez, Bland, Johnson
Seahawks are nursing a banged-up secondary heading into Week 2 and will likely be without starting cornerback Devon Witherspoon and first-round safety Nick Emmanwori.
Witherspoon played every snap in Week 1 but didn’t practice this week due to a knee injury. He’s listed as doubtful on Seattle’s injury report and seems very unlikely to take the field. The injury is not thought to be serious, said head coach Mike Macdonald (via Michael Shawn-Dugar of The Athletic).
Emmanwori only played four snaps in his NFL debut before going down with a high ankle sprain. He didn’t participate this week, either, and was ruled out for Sunday’s game. Macdonald added that Emmanwori will avoid injured reserve for right now after mentioning the possibility earlier in the week, per Shawn-Dugar.
Witherspoon’s absence this weekend will force another Seahawks defender to step up in the slot, a decision that will be further complicated with Emmanwori sidelined. He could have been another option at nickel or lined up at safety with Julian Love in the slot; instead, Seattle will have to flip an outside cornerback into the slot or put inexperienced third-year safety Ty Okada on the field.
Here are some other secondary injury updates from around the NFL:
- Seattle will also be facing a depleted secondary on Sunday with Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (hamstring) joining DeShon Elliott (knee) on the sidelines, per Seahawks team reporter John Boyle. First-round defensive tackle Derrick Harmon will also have to wait another week before his NFL debut as he recovers from a knee injury.
- Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones confirmed (via All City DLLS’ Clarence Hill) that cornerback DaRon Bland would miss two to three weeks with a foot sprain. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer added that an IR placement is not expected at this time, per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News.
- Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez was ruled out for a second week in a row, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The 2023 first-round pick still hasn’t returned to practice since July 28 due to a hamstring injury.
- The Bears will get cornerback Jaylon Johnson back in Week 2 as he finished the week without an injury designation for Sunday’s game against the Lions.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/10/25
Wednesday’s taxi squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Channing Tindall
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DT Phidarian Mathis
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DE K.J. Henry
Houston Texans
- Signed: T Jaylon Thomas
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: LB Cole Christiansen
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released from practice squad/injured list (with injury settlement): WR Jalen Reagor
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Jacob Sykes
- Released: CB Eli Ricks
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: QB Logan Woodside
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: TE Messiah Swinson
Washington Commanders
- Signed: P Mitch Wishnowsky
- Released: TE Lawrence Cager
With regular punter Tress Way in danger of missing this week’s Thursday Night matchup in Green Bay with a back injury, Washington has signed the former 49ers veteran as insurance.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/25
Here are today’s mid-week minor NFL transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed from practice squad: WR Simi Fehoko
- Placed on IR: S Joey Blount
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: QB Hunter Dekkers
New York Jets
- Signed off Bengals’ practice squad: WR Isaiah Williams
- Waived: WR Xavier Gipson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed from practice squad: CB James Pierre
- Placed on IR: LB Malik Harrison, QB Skylar Thompson
Blount will reportedly be on injured reserve for the remainder of the season after Sunday’s neck injury. After colliding with a ball carrier at the same time as rookie linebacker Cody Simon, who suffered a concussion, Blount was seen in a neck brace after the game.
After Jets head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters that “players who made costly mistakes would not stay on the field,” per Brian Costello of the New York Post, Gipson has been waived from the team. In a close loss to the Steelers, Gipson coughed up a costly fumble. Williams will come up from Cincinnati, and his experience as a return man may hint at how New York might address the loss of Gipson.
The Steelers see two key backups hit injured reserve as they make room for Jabrill Peppers and Pierre. Harrison followed Patrick Queen this offseason as the second linebacker to make the move from rival Baltimore in as many seasons, but he didn’t have an established role on the Steelers defense yet. Thompson joins rookie sixth-round pick Will Howard on IR. Practice squad passer Logan Woodside now stands as QB3 behind Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph.
Steelers Add Incentives To Cameron Heyward’s Deal
SEPTEMBER 10: Heyward’s incentive package is split evenly into two parts, as detailed by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. $1.6MM will be earned if Heyward records eight or more sacks and the Steelers reach the playoffs. The remainder will be earned if he posts at least 11.5 sacks and Pittsburgh wins one or more playoff game.
Heyward has hit the eight-sack mark six times in his career, the most recent coming in 2024. He has reached 12 sacks only once in a season (2017), so maximizing these incentives would come as a surprise. Per Florio, Heyward’s scheduled 2026 roster bonus of $12.95MM will drop by $875K in the event he plays less than 30% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps this season; he has surpassed that workload every year since his rookie campaign.
SEPTEMBER 6: A last-minute resolution has emerged in the case of Cameron Heyward and the Steelers. The All-Pro defensive lineman has agreed to a restructure. 
Specifically, the Steelers and Heyward worked out a compromise through incentives covering the 2025 season. Additional potential earnings have been added for the coming campaign, as first reported by Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Incentives worth $3.2MM tied to playoff games and wins are now in place.
Heyward was originally owed $14.25MM in total for the 2025 campaign. As a result of today’s agreement, he can top out at $18MM this year. The 15th-year veteran made it known this summer he was seeking a raise in the wake of a strong showing last season, and he suggested a regular season holdout could take place in the absence of a deal. Yesterday’s comments on the matter implied Heyward would face the choice of missing Sunday’s contest or playing on his existing pact, but that will no longer be the case.
The Steelers have a policy against negotiating extensions during the season and have historically avoided redoing deals with more than one year remaining. Heyward is on the books through 2026 as a result of last year’s extension, something which led to the expectation no agreement would be reached. The team has nevertheless managed to work out a short-term compromise which could see his compensation move closer to the top of the defensive tackle market.
Negotiations on a new contract last offseason proved to be a lengthy process, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirms Heyward was giving serious thought to sitting out tomorrow’s game without a restructure of some kind being worked out. The seven-time Pro Bowler is now assured to be in place against the Jets in Week 1. Another highly productive season would help a Steelers defense which faces increased expectations based on the team’s busy offseason.
Heyward was limited to 11 games and just two sacks in 2023. He rebounded last year, though, playing every game and notching eight sacks. Those figures helped lead to the fourth first-team All-Pro nod of his career and increased his leverage in seeking a short-term bump in compensation. Even if Heyward reaches his $18MM ceiling in earnings for 2025, that will fall short of what 16 other defensive tackles average per year based on their current contracts.
Of course, at the age of 36, Heyward was not in a position to approach the top of the position’s market on a restructure or an agreement adding new years to his pact. The path to a marginal raise is now in place, however, and attention for team and player will turn to the regular season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/25
Today’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived from IR: CB Christian Matthew
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed (off Rams’ practice squad): RB Cody Schrader
New England Patriots
- Waived: CB D.J. James
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: TE Jack Stoll
New York Giants
- Waived from IR: CB Tre Hawkins
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: DL Gabe Hall
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived from IR: CB Cameron McCutcheon
Tre Hawkins was waived/injured at the end of the preseason and reverted to IR, meaning he wouldn’t be able to play during the 2025 campaign. After agreeing to an injury settlement today, he’ll now have an opportunity to take the field elsewhere. The former sixth-round pick started three of his 17 appearances as a rookie, but he was limited to only three games in 2024 thanks in part to a season-ending fractured lumbar spine injury.
Steelers To Sign S Jabrill Peppers
Fresh off a Week 1 win against the Jets, the Steelers are signing veteran safety Jabrill Peppers, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
Secondary starters DeShon Elliott (knee) and Joey Porter Jr. (hamstring) both left Sunday’s game, further depleting Pittsburgh’s already-thin secondary. The Steelers elected to carry just eight defensive backs on their initial 53-man roster – four cornerbacks and four safeties – leaving them especially vulnerable to injuries. Elliott has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain and is expected to miss a few weeks, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.
Enter Peppers, an eight-year veteran with 85 starts under his belt (though only 31 have come in the last five years). The Patriots released him during final roster cuts as they transitioned to more traditional deep safeties, but Peppers’ downhill play style and box/slot versatility could allow him to step into Elliott’s role right away. (On Sunday, the Steelers inserted former Raven and Jet Chuck Clark when Elliott went down.)
Elliott’s injury does not appear to be long-term, but even when he returns, Peppers will be important depth after the Steelers traded Minkah Fitzpatrick back to the Dolphins earlier this year. Other than starting free safety Juan Thornhill, the only other safety on the Steelers’ roster is special teams ace Miles Killebrew, who has only played 177 defensive snaps over his previous four years in Pittsburgh.
It doesn’t seem like Elliott will land on IR with the Steelers targeting a Week 4 return, per Schultz. If Peppers is being added to the 53-man roster – which seems more likely than the practice squad given his pedigree – Pittsburgh will need to make another roster move to open up a spot.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/8/25
Today’s practice squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DT Tommy Akingbesote, DB Israel Mukuamu
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Pierre Strong
- Released: RB Israel Abanikanda
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB Ameer Abdullah
- Released: RB Khalil Herbert
New York Giants
- Signed: OT Reid Holskey
- Released: G McClendon Curtis
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Liam Fornadel
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: RB Montrell Johnson, OL Hollin Pierce
- Released: WR Elijah Cooks
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Rakim Jarrett
- Released: WR Lance McCutcheon
2025 Offseason In Review Series
Here are PFR’s breakdowns of each NFL team’s 2025 offseason.
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/25
With our first slate of Sunday games tomorrow, we’ll see our first slew of standard gameday practice squad elevations. Here are today’s minor transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: WR David Sills, RB Carlos Washington Jr.
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: G Kendrick Green, K Matt Prater
Carolina Panthers
- Signed from practice squad: DT Jaden Crumedy
- Placed on IR: CB Damarri Mathis (story)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: DT Mike Pennel
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: FB Adam Prentice, LB Levelle Bailey
Detroit Lions
- Signed from practice squad: RB Jacob Saylors
- Elevated: LB Anthony Pittman
- Placed on IR: T Jamarco Jones
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: CB Micah Robinson
Houston Texans
- Elevated: FB Jakob Johnson
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: LB Austin Ajiake, RB Ulysses Bentley IV
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: T Ricky Lee
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: WR Alex Bachman, S Terrell Edmunds
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: RB Cody Schrader
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: K Riley Patterson, RB Jeff Wilson
New England Patriots
- Signed from practice squad: DT Cory Durden
- Elevated: CB Corey Ballentine, LB Mark Robinson
- Released: DT Jeremiah Pharms
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: DE Fadil Diggs
- Elevated: TE Jack Stoll, DE Jonah Williams
- Waived: QB Jake Haener
New York Giants
- Elevated: DT Elijah Garcia
New York Jets
- Elevated: WR Tyler Johnson
- Placed on IR: G Alijah Vera-Tucker (story)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: CB James Pierre
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: WR Russell Gage, LB Curtis Robinson
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: CB Shaquill Griffin, DT Quinton Bohanna
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: DT Adam Gotsis, G Michael Jordan
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: C Corey Levin, DT Carlos Watkins
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: C Michael Deiter, WR Chris Moore
Each NFL team is granted up to two standard gameday practice squad elevations each game, allowing them to call up two members of their practice squad who are able to play in that weekend’s game. After the game is played, the elevated players revert back to the practice squad with no transaction required. This differs from the situation with somebody like Crumedy in Carolina. With Mathis’ placement on injured reserve opening a spot on the 53-man roster, Crumedy has been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster, where he will remain until he is cut or his contract expires.
Practice squad players can be called up a maximum of three times under a single practice squad contract. If a team wants to call up a player who’s been called up three times already, the team will usually sign the player to their active roster for a game, cut them after, and then sign them to a new practice squad contract. Under the new contract, the player would be eligible to be elevated for three more games.
As the Dolphins await Jason Sanders‘ return from IR, Patterson was named the winner of a kicking audition with three other veteran kickers. Miami will be able to elevate him three times but will have to promote him to the active roster for any games between that and Sanders’ activation. Similarly, Prater will likely be on the same plan in Buffalo.
Haener’s stint on the Saints’ active roster was short-lived as the team decides to move forward with only two quarterbacks. Spencer Rattler will handle starting duties to begin the campaign with second-round rookie Tyler Shough serving as his backup.
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward Unsure If New Contract Agreement Will Be Reached
Cameron Heyward continues to seek out an adjusted contract before the start of the regular season. With time running out for an agreement to be reached, it does not appear as though a deal will be struck.
Heyward made it known this summer he was aiming for a raise after signing an extension last summer. The 36-year-old left the door open to missing regular season games in the even no restructure was worked out, but it remains to be seen if that will take place. Heyward is still attached to his existing pact as things stand, and on Friday he said (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor) he is “preparing” to play this week even if no financial changes take place.
“I wish I could be more optimistic,” added Heyward, per Pryor. “Just trying to stay in the moment. I don’t have all the answers. It’s more of me just waiting and see what could happen.”
Though Heyward signed a two-year extension last September with the intention of outplaying the deal and negotiating a raise this year, the Steelers never seemed likely to oblige. They typically avoid engaging in contract talks during the season and rarely extend players with multiple years left on their deal. Though Heyward is still playing at a high level, he is under contract through 2026, per OverTheCap, his age-37 season. Another contract would cost the Steelers more money, both upfront and in guarantees, for years that Heyward may not even play. From a business perspective, it’s difficult to argue with their decision to hold him to his last deal.
Heyward was a full participant in the Steelers’ practice on Friday with no injury designation, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, meaning an absence on Sunday would clearly be a personal, contract-related decision. Would the longtime Steeler take that drastic step? He’s started every game when healthy since Week 6 of 2013 and has a reputation as the hard-nosed leader of Pittsburgh’s defense. Furthermore, holding out during the regular season has rarely led to the desired results for other players. Overall, it seems unlikely that he would take the drastic step of sitting out a regular season game with seemingly little to gain.
Nikhil Mehta contributed to this article.