As we prepare for tonight’s season opener, here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Here is how the Buccaneers trimmed their roster to the 53-man limit Tuesday:
Sanders, the son of NFL legend and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, signed with Tampa Bay in May after he went undrafted. Shilo, who had been competing for a spot at the back of the Bucs’ safety depth chart, was ejected from the club’s preseason finale on Saturday for throwing a punch following heavy pushing and shoving with Bills TE Zach Davidson. He was also flagged for pass interference in the game.
Agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Sanders was headed to the waiver wire, and they hope their client will get claimed on waivers. A fresh start would likely be welcomed by all parties, although it will be interesting to see if any outside suitors put in a claim given the manner in which his Tampa tenure came to an end.
Jarrett, who joined the Bucs as an undrafted free agent in 2023, has recorded 13 catches for 184 yards in his brief time with the team. He will now hit the waiver wire. Provided no claim is made, a spot on the practice squad could be in store given Jarrett’s familiarity with the organization. The Bucs will hold P-squad spots for Jackson and Bazelak, per ESPN’s Jenna Laine and Fox Sports’ Greg Auman. Bazelak staying on would provide finality for Kyle Trask, whom the Bucs released earlier this week. Teddy Bridgewater will be Tampa Bay’s backup, and it looks like Bazelak — a rookie UDFA from Bowling Green — will be the third-stringer.
Weight issues stalled Watson’s practice work, and the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud indicates he ballooned to 470 pounds entering the offseason program. Weight trouble hindered Watson, who did not see any preseason action due to the issue. The Bucs opted to cut Watson, who would have been the heaviest player in NFL history had he played in a regular-season game, rather than stash him on the reserve/Non-Football Illness list. They will not hold a practice squad spot for him, Stroud adds.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Once the regular season ends, teams that are eliminated from the playoffs can sign players – typically young members of their practice squads – to reserve/futures contracts. Teams that lose in the playoffs are also eligible to sign such deals. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts from around the NFL:
Cleveland Browns
Green Bay Packers
Los Angeles Chargers
Minnesota Vikings
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
S Marcus Banks, WR Marquez Callaway, CB Dallis Flowers, DL Mike Greene, OL Garret Greenfield, LB Antonio Grier Jr., LB Daniel Grzesiak, OL Luke Haggard, WR Dennis Houston, LB Deion Jones, WR Tanner Knue, OL Lorenz Metz, OL Raiqwon O’Neal, QB Michael Pratt, TE Tanner Taula, RB D.J. Williams, S Rashad Wisdom
Holley is a former Western Michigan Bronco who started his professional career with the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL in 2022. He then signed with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts for the 2023 season and played a key role in their 2024 Grey Cup championship. Holley led all CFL interior defensive linemen with 8.0 sacks, drawing attention from multiple NFL teams before signing with the Browns, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.
Steward was an undrafted rookie out of Troy in 2024 who spent the year on the Bears’ practice squad. He was pursued by multiple teams once the regular season ended, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, but ultimately chose to stay within the NFC North with the Vikings.
New Year’s Eve practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Friday’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
Jacksonville Jaguars
New England Patriots
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Saturday’s minor transactions, including gameday practice squad elevations:
Atlanta Falcons
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Jacksonville Jaguars
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Eagles starting tight end Dallas Goedert has been placed on injured reserve, so Jenkins will come up from the practice squad for a little added depth.
Today’s practice squad moves:
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
The Chiefs are set to roll with their third kicker of the season. With Harrison Butker on IR and Spencer Shrader sidelined with a hamstring injury, Kansas City had to add yet another leg to the roster. The team opted for Matthew Wright, who already has experience kicking with the franchise. Wright filled in for Butker twice in 2022, connecting on three field goals and eight extra points.
Wright has only got one extended look as a starter (when he got into 14 games with the Jaguars in 2021), but he’s still managed to get into at least one game per season over the past few years. Wright has already made an appearance in 2024, when he was responsible for 12 points in the 49ers win over the Seahawks last month.
Saturday’s minor moves, including gameday elevations for Week 12:
Arizona Cardinals
Chicago Bears
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
Friday’s minor moves:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Tuesday’s minor NFL transactions:
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Los Angeles Rams
New England Patriots
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Robbins’ release today marks the end of what was supposed to be the continuation of the battle for the punter position in Cincinnati, setting the table for Ryan Rehkow to continue his job as the primary punter for the Bengals. Robbins was activated from injured reserve yesterday, but his stint on the active roster ends after only one day. It’s an interesting move after the team dedicated one of their eight IR activations for the season on Robbins before the season began.