Thursday’s practice squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
Los Angeles Rams
New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tennessee Titans
Thursday’s minor moves:
Jacksonville Jaguars
New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Gipson was issued a six-game PED suspension in July, but he has yet to be reinstated by the league. Today’s development marks a step in that direction, however, since it allows the 34-year-old to begin practicing. Once he is brought back into the fold Gipson will take on a role in the Jags’ secondary (or at least on special teams) as he plays what could be the final season of his 13-year career.
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Here are the most recent practice squad transactions from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
The Vikings cut Gaskin from their active roster on Tuesday, but as a vested veteran, he did not need to pass through waivers before re-signing to Minnesota’s practice squad. Gaskin played in the Vikings’ first five games this season, but has not appeared since October 6. His familiarity with the offense could lead to activations from the practice squad if Minnesota needs running back depth.
Herndon will join the Saints after playing in Jacksonville for six seasons, with 83 total appearances and 34 starts for the Jaguars since 2018. The veteran cornerback only started five games over the last two years, but played in 15 games for almost 900 snaps as a rotational member of the Jaguars’ secondary. His experience could lead to quick elevations from the practice squad once he learns the Saints’ defense.
The Commander signed the 30-year-old Hart to give them more depth at offensive tackle. The veteran has 67 starts and 98 total appearances over his eight-year career, though he hasn’t played in the NFL since a 2022 stint with the Bills.
Here are the latest transactions from around the NFL:
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tennessee Titans
Murray suffered a torn pectoral in the Bears’ loss to the Commanders on Sunday, thinning out Chicago’s offensive line depth. He played 37 snaps at left guard in Week 5 in relief of an injured Tevin Jenkins, who left Sunday’s game with another injury. After full participation in practice last week, Larry Borom should be ready to be activated from injured reserve to reinforce the Bears’ offensive line before Week 9.
The Texans officially played Diggs on injured reserve after tests confirmed a season-ending ACL tear, a non-contact injury that occurred in Houston’s Week 8 victory over the Colts. With Nico Collins already on IR, C.J. Stroud will turn to Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz to keep the offense afloat until Collins returns. Diggs’ injury could heavily affect his market in free agency after requiring the Texans to remove the final three years of his contact to facilitate his trade from the Bills.
Sutton is eligible to play for the first time this year after serving an eight-game suspension for violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He was suspended after he was arrested for domestic battery by strangulation in March, leading to his release by the Lions. The Steelers then signed him to a one-year deal in June before the league handed down his suspension in July, forcing Pittsburgh to turn to Beanie Bishop at nickel.
Today’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
Indianapolis Colts
New York Giants
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tennessee Titans
Cowboys defensive lineman Sam Williams has already been ruled out for the 2024 season thanks to a torn ACL, and now he’s been slapped with a three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy (via Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). The unpaid suspension went to effect prior to Week 8, and the player will be eligible for reinstatement prior to Week 11. The punishment stems from Williams’ reckless driving charge from 2023.
The Colts lost a key special teamer for the season in Trevor Denbow, as Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star reports that the player suffered “injuries to multiple ligaments and cartilage” during yesterday’s game. Denbow has appeared in 65 percent of his team’s ST snaps over the past two seasons, and he’s been limited to only six defensive snaps over that time.
With the trade deadline nearing, more player movement can be expected during the coming days. Of course, a key factor in any deals will be the financial situation for contenders aiming to bolster their rosters for the second half of the campaign.
Courtesy of Over the Cap, here is an updated look at each teams’ cap space:
Just like last year, the 49ers find themselves with considerable cap space to work with. The team has several reasons to roll over as many funds as possible into the offseason, however, with Brock Purdy eligible for an extension and the likes of Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir and Talanoa Hufanga on track for free agency. Major investments including a commitment beyond 2024 would thus come as a surprise. 
San Francisco is among the teams to watch regarding an addition, and major injuries on both sides of the ball could lead to a stop-gap solution being targeted. The 49ers may also be open to moving away players before the deadline, though, with Ward being named as potential candidate to be dealt. Sitting at 3-4, the team’s bid to return to the Super Bowl has not gone as planned to date, but a notable midseason addition could certainly change things.
Having lost Aidan Hutchinson until at least the Super Bowl, the Lions have an obvious need along the edge. Replacing his production with any one addition will not be feasible, but bringing in at least a rotational option would not come as a surprise. Indeed, Detroit has been involved in the edge market with respect to showing interest in some of the veterans who could be on the move.
That list no longer includes Haason Reddick, but the Lions have also been connected to Za’Darius Smith. The Browns have already moved Amari Cooper, so it would come as little surprise if the team were to deal away the three-time Pro Bowler in a move which would allow him to return to the NFC North. Smith certainly seems to be open to a trade, and Detroit would easily be able to absorb the remainder of his $1.2MM 2024 salary.
While Smith could be on the move, fellow Cleveland edge rusher Myles Garrett is (understandably) seen as untouchable. That is also the case for Raiders start Maxx Crosby, with owner Mark Davis making it clear a trade will not be considered before or after the deadline. Even though the Titans have been active already on the trade front, they too will not entertain a deal involving two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons. While talks have taken place related to Cooper Kupp, the Rams do not expect to move on from the former Super Bowl MVP.
The receiver position remains one to watch even with Davante Adams (Jets), Cooper (Bills) and DeAndre Hopkins (Chiefs) already joining new teams. As the Panthers consider selling off pending free agents, Diontae Johnson could be available for a mid-round pick. In the case of the Jaguars, Christian Kirk is still a candidate to be dealt (although he is not a pending free agent). Teams like the Steelers and Chargers have yet to add a pass-catcher, but they have shown interest and could pull off a move in the coming days.
Before agreeing to acquire Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, the Chiefs entered discussions with the Rams on Cooper Kupp. Los Angeles was believed to be discussing the former All-Pro with teams, something Sean McVay confirmed after the team’s upset win over the Vikings on Thursday.
McVay, however, all but slammed the door on a Kupp trade before the Nov. 5 deadline. Other AFC teams joined the Chiefs, however, in discussing Kupp. The Bills and Steelers engaged in talks with the Rams, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
For Buffalo, this effort most likely came before the team agreed to acquire Amari Cooper from Cleveland. While it would be interesting if the Bills pursued both players, especially as the Cooper trade only resulted in an $806K cap number hitting the perennial AFC East champions’ books, it seems logical the team explored Kupp and then centered its trade effort on Cooper. The Browns were preparing to hold onto Cooper for a bit longer, but the Bills’ interest — as their post-Stefon Diggs receiver plan showed early cracks — proved aggressive enough the struggling AFC North club moved on from the contract-year player ahead of Week 7.
The Steelers’ receiver need has been well chronicled, dating back to the draft. Pittsburgh joined Buffalo in showing interest in Deebo Samuel, as the 49ers discussed both he and Brandon Aiyuk in trades. Aiyuk then became Pittsburgh’s target — to the point trade framework was in place by August. The Steelers then saw Aiyuk remove them from consideration by recommitting to the 49ers via a four-year, $120MM deal. The now-Russell Wilson-quarterbacked team was also in on Davante Adams, only to see the ex-Packers star prefer to rejoin Aaron Rodgers with the Jets, who took on the recent Raider’s entire 2024 prorated salary — something other teams have been hesitant to do.
The Rams were seen as willing to pick up part of Kupp’s tab. It would cost just less than $9MM for a team to acquire Kupp this week, but with the Rams winning two straight the Kupp-Puka Nacua tandem making a significant impact in the team’s upset victory over the Vikings, the Rams standing down checks out. Kupp, 31, is signed for two more seasons — on the three-year, $80.1MM deal he inked months after his Super Bowl MVP showing — and could be an offseason trade candidate. Kupp would stand to built trade value by staying healthy — something he has failed to do since that stratospheric 2021 season — down the stretch.
With Kupp off the market and Adams, Cooper and Hopkins also dealt, the Steelers reside in an interesting position. The receiver most likely to be moved played five seasons in Pittsburgh. The Panthers are expected to deal Diontae Johnson, who had angled for a trade out of Pittsburgh. It should be considered unlikely the Steelers pay a mid-round pick to acquire one of their former wideouts. Beyond Johnson, the likes of Mike Williams, Christian Kirk, Adam Thielen and Patriots vets Kendrick Bourne and K.J. Osborn are seen as trade candidates.
It seems probable Steelers finally pull the trigger on a trade. Although slot player Calvin Austin has contributed 203 receiving yards to the cause, none of the Steelers’ other George Pickens sidekicks have cleared 80 yards through seven games. With the team at 5-2 and sporting a high-end defensive unit, a buyer trade to help Wilson should be on the way. But options have dwindled since the team began this quest.
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.