Brandon Parker

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/2/25

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

The 12-year veteran wide receiver, Woods, had been signed to the Steelers’ practice squad after failing to make the 53-man roster. Per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Woods requested to be released from his practice squad contract but told Pittsburgh that he would be open to returning if a spot on the active roster opened up for him. The team granted his request.

The Cardinals are able to add two players while only releasing one because Daxon is part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, having been born in the Bahamas. Teams can have one more than the 16-player limit for their practice squad, as long as the 17th players is in the IPPP.

Per Brady Henderson of ESPN, it’s believed that the Seahawks have made this transaction as a courtesy to Campbell, Gaines, and Laumea, who’ve all spent most of the offseason in Seattle with the team. This week on the practice squad will potentially get each player a minimum check for $13K, but the Seahawks are expected to bring Martinez and Jean-Charles back to the p-squad. The same has yet to be confirmed for Kight.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC South

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These BuccaneersFalconsPanthers and Saints moves are noted below.

Atlanta Falcons

Signed to practice squad:

Carolina Panthers

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

New Orleans Saints

Claimed:

  • WR Trey Palmer (from Buccaneers), G Xavier Truss (from Broncos)

Signed to practice squad:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed to practice squad:

Falcons Cull Roster To 53 Players

The Falcons trimmed their roster down to 53 players with the following moves:

Released

Waived

Placed on injured reserve (designated to return)

Placed on reserve/PUP

Placed on reserve/NFI

  • LB Malik Verdon

Released from IR with injury settlement

Fuller, Harrison, and Henderson all have previous starting experience in the secondary, though Harrison has since converted to linebacker and exclusively played special teams last season. Fuller missed half of the 2024 season due to injury, while Henderson, a former top-10 draft pick, spent the year with the Steelers but didn’t appear in a regular-season game.

With right tackle Kaleb McGary landing on season-ending IR, Parker could be a candidate to have a handshake agreement to be signed to the practice squad and remain in the team’s game day plans for the season. He will be crucial tackle depth with Norton sidelined for at least four weeks (and likely more) after ankle surgery

Bryant was a projected Day 3 pick who surprisingly went undrafted. Though he didn’t do enough to make the 53-man roster, the Falcons are hoping that he can clear waivers and return to the practice squad, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

Though Younghoe Koo is coming off a down year, the Falcons are sticking with the veteran kicker and waived Krieg, a German-born rookie. The Falcons are planning to re-sign him to the practice squad if he clears waivers, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. As an international player, Krieg is eligible to be an extra, 17th player on Atlanta’s practice squad.

Washington is expected to spend his third NFL season on the Falcons’ practice squad, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was only elevated once in 2024 and played exclusively special teams in that game.

Graham started 16 games over his first four years in the NFL but saw his snap share drop to a career low in 2024. He’ll be out for a minimum of four games with an undisclosed injury.

Falcons RT Kaleb McGary To Miss ‘Significant Time’

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris announced that starting right tackle Kaleb McGary will miss “significant time” with an injury suffered in Wednesday’s practice.

McGary went down during individual drills and had to be carted off the field. Morris indicated that the six-year veteran will land on injured reserve, though that could come with a return designation if the Falcons believe he can return this season.

The 30-year-old just negotiated a $3.5MM raise earlier this month with a two-year, $15MM extension. With Michael Penix entering his first full season as a starter, McGary may have had some added leverage as the left-handed quarterback’s new blind side protector.

McGary’s injury will stretch an already-injured tackle room even further. Swing tackle Storm Norton is recovering from ankle surgery and former UDFA Tyrone Wheatley Jr. is out for the year. Norton is unlikely to be ready for Week 1, making it unclear who will start at right tackle.

Morris specifically mentioned Elijah Wilkinson as a player who is expected to step up amid the injuries. He’s currently listed as the backup left guard on the Falcons’ unofficial depth chart, but the eight-year veteran moved to left tackle for the team’s second preseason. He also has 20 career starts at right tackle, though the last came in 2021. Brandon Parker is listed as Atlanta’s backup right tackle, but has lined up at left tackle in the preseason. Like Wilkinson, he has plenty of past experience at right tackle as well.

Rookie Jack Nelson could also be a factor after starting both preseason games at right tackle, but the seventh-rounder may not be trusted to protect Penix’s blind side right away. If McGary and/or Norton begin the season on IR, UDFA Jordan Williams could make the roster as extra depth after getting a handful of snaps at right tackle in the preseason.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/13/25

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/24

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Free Agent

Not long after being a 49ers cut as the NFC champions pared set their initial 53-man roster, Parker secured another opportunity. The 49ers carried Parker on their roster this offseason and brought him back shortly after releasing him. A 33-game starter with the Raiders, Parker joins a Falcons roster housing Storm Norton as the swingman behind Jake Matthews and Kaleb McGary.

Isaac went to camp with the Bucs but caught on with the Panthers, via their barrage of waiver claims, after being waived. The Panthers waived Isaac before their Week 1 game. Isaac initially signed with the Bucs as a 2023 UDFA and played in two games last season.

Hatten incurred a five-game suspension today. A Seahawks UDFA this year, Hatten did not make the team’s 53-man roster. At the same time, the NFL lifted the suspensions of the other three free agents, Jackson, Muhammad, and Thomas.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/24

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Detroit Lions

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

49ers Place WR Ricky Pearsall On NFI List

SEPTEMBER 3: General manager John Lynch said (via Barrows) the bullet which hit Pearsall did not strike any ribs, a factor which allowed him to be hospitalized for such a brief period. Lynch added he expects Pearsall to be available at some point during the 2024 campaign. That will not be possible until Week 5 at the earliest, but any regular season action would of course be a welcomed development.

SEPTEMBER 2: Ricky Pearsall will, to no surprise, be sidelined for at least the first four games of the regular season. The 49ers’ first-round rookie was placed on the non-football injury list Monday, as noted by ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

Pearsall was the victim of an attempted robbery on Saturday and he suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. The 23-year-old was in serious but stable condition in the aftermath of the incident, and none of his vital organs were hit. In an encouraging update yesterday, Pearsall was discharged from hospital.

His recovery will now continue from home, but the 49ers will proceed with caution in terms of getting him back on the field. Pearsall – who had already missed considerable time in training camp and the preseason due to hamstring and shoulder injuries – will be sidelined for a notable period before being eligible to make his regular season debut.

As Matt Barrow of the Athletic notes, returning Pearsall from the NFI list to the active roster will count as one of the eight activations San Francisco has during the campaign. Those activations are generally meant for players placed on injured reserve before or after roster cuts.

The 49ers’ receiver depth chart is set with Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings in place to once again lead the way at the position. Pearsall’s selection on Day 1 of the draft came amidst trade talk surrounding Aiyuk and Samuel, although both are now under contract beyond 2024. Pearsall should occupy a rotational role once healthy, and with Samuel a potential trade candidate next offseason, he could step into a starting gig in 2025.

In a corresponding move, the 49ers signed offensive tackle Brandon Parker to the active roster. The former Raider is a veteran of 59 games and 33 starts, and he is positioned to take on the swing tackle role for Week 1. Jaylon Moore is on track to start at left tackle for San Francisco due to Trent Williams‘ ongoing holdout. The future Hall of Famer is on the reserve/did not report list while talks on a contract resolution continue. An agreement could be coming soon, but for at least the coming week Parker will likely be counted on as key depth up front.

49ers Activate Talanoa Hufanga, Move Roster To 53

Two 49ers remain out out of the mix (but definitely not out of headlines, in Brandon Aiyuk‘s case), though both standouts are still employed by the team. Though, Trent Williams remains on the reserve/did not report list. Here is how the defending NFC champs pared their roster to 53 by today’s deadline:

Released:

Waived:

Activated from active/PUP list:

Placed on IR:

Placed on IR (return designation):

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Hufanga’s status represents a positive development for a 49ers team in need of them. The All-Pro safety had been rumored to join Greenlaw on the reserve/PUP list. Avoiding it does not guarantee Hufanga will be ready for Week 1, but it keeps the fourth-year defender in the equation for the 49ers’ first four games. They are choosing to carry Hufanga on the 53-man roster and go week-to-week with him. This undoubtedly led to Walker being moved off the roster.

Conversely, Mitchell’s time with the team may be over. San Francisco surprised most by vaulting the 2021 sixth-round pick into a starting role to open that season, dropping Trey Sermon to a backup spot. Mitchell operated as San Francisco’s preferred starter — as long as he was healthy, which was sporadic — until the October 2022 Christian McCaffrey trade. The 49ers now have Jordan Mason and rookie Isaac Guerendo as CMC backups.

A hamstring injury has sidelined Mitchell, potentially opening the door to an injury settlement. Davis will be able to return this season for the 49ers; Mitchell’s designation would prevent that. The 49ers are down to seven IR activations as a result of the Davis decision. A 2022 sixth-round pick, Davis remains in the team’s plans despite injuries largely keeping him out of action. Davis has played just three NFL games, and he suffered another injury — a knee issue requiring surgery — during camp.

The 49ers, who will bring many of these players back to the practice squad, cut two recent third-round picks — Gray and Latu. The latter has not played yet as a pro, missing his entire rookie season with an ACL tear. Gray has been unable to carve out a role on a 49ers team that has seen Jauan Jennings stick as the team’s WR3; rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing are also in the mix now.

49ers Sign OT Brandon Parker

The 49ers are adding some depth to their offensive line. The team announced that they’ve signed offensive tackle Brandon Parker.

The former third-round pick had spent his entire career with the Raiders. He had an inconsistent role through his six years with the organization, alternating between starter and backup. Parker started a career-high 13 games for the Raiders in 2021, but his follow-up campaign was erased thanks to a triceps injury.

During his comeback season in 2023, Parker bounced on and off the Raiders active roster. He ultimately got into five games for the team, starting one. Pro Football Focus wasn’t especially fond of his performance this past season, ranking him as a middle-of-the-road lineman. However, they did hand him the highest grade of his career, so there was some positive.

Parker provides the 49ers with some veteran experience in the OTs room. The 28-year-old will likely compete with the likes of Jaylon Moore and Isaac Alarcon for snaps behind Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz.