Calvin Anderson

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/10/25

Here are today’s midweek minor moves:

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

The Texans’ offense is getting healthy at just the right time. Despite not making much of an impact in the passing game, Bryant started three of eight game appearances earlier this year for the Texans and returns to a thin position group. Watson is coming back from a 13-week absence and will hope to continue working his way into a new offense.

The Eagles waived replacement long snapper Cal Adomitis yesterday, so it stands to reason that Hughlett will find himself back on the 53-man roster soon. Hinton’s 21-day practice window closed today, so he’ll add insult to injury in Philadelphia as he reverts to injured reserve without the ability to be activated while still using up one of the team’s eight allotted activations, since they designated him to return before final roster cuts.

Steelers Place LT Broderick Jones On Season-Ending IR; CB Asante Samuel To Make 2025 Debut

NOVEMBER 30: Jones’ neck injury is more serious than originally thought, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He will be miss the remainder of the season as a result.

NOVEMBER 29: The Steelers placed left tackle Broderick Jones on injured reserve and elevated cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Bills, per a team announcement.

The 2023 first-round pick will miss at least four games due to his IR placement. His earliest return would come in Week 17 against the Browns.

Jones suffered a neck injury during Pittsburgh’s Week 12 loss to the Bears. Six-year veteran Calvin Anderson closed out the game, but head coach Mike Tomlin said on Saturday that Andrus Peat would take over blind side duties in Week 13.

Jones, 24, started the Steelers’ first 11 games of the season, allowing six sacks and 23 pressures in 356 pass-blocking opportunities, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). His 95.9 pass block efficiency is not much better than his 95.3 marks in the previous two season.

Peat will start at left tackle in the meantime. He has barely played in the last two years, but started 11 games at left tackle in New Orleans in 2023. He allowed two sacks and 30 pressures in 459 pass-blocking opportunities, per PFF, suggesting he can be a solid but unspectacular fill-in for Jones.

Samuel, 26, will make his 2025 debut against the Bills He was cleared from offseason spinal fusion surgery at the beginning of November and signed with the Steelers after taking visits with a number of teams. Sunday’s game will be Samuel’s first action in over a year and the Steelers are entering Week 13 with a relatively healthy cornerback room. As a result, he may not see much action, though Pittsburgh may try to get him in the game so he can reacclimate to the field. That would also give the Steelers a chance to evaluate Samuel and see what he can contribute for the rest of the year.

Steelers Re-Sign T Calvin Anderson

Calvin Anderson debuted with the Steelers in 2024, and he will remain in the fold moving forward. The veteran offensive tackle re-signed with Pittsburgh on a two-year deal Monday, per a team announcement.

Anderson began his career with the Broncos, spending three seasons in Denver. During that stretch, he made 41 appearances and 12 starts. The former undrafted free agent was with the Patriots in 2023, though he was limited to just five games played. As a result, it came as little surprise a lengthy wait in free agency ensued last offseason.

Anderson remained on the open market past the start of the 2025 campaign. After the Steelers saw first-round rookie Troy Fautanu go down with a knee injury (one which led to an IR stint and limited him to just one game), though, depth was needed. That led to an Anderson agreement being worked out in September, and the 29-year-old played in four games shortly upon arrival.

Anderson was placed on injured reserve not long after, however, and he remained unavailable for the rest of the regular season. The Rice and Texas product was activated in time for the playoffs, and he played in the Steelers’ wild-card loss. None of his five total appearances included starting duties, but Anderson clearly made a strong enough impression with Pittsburgh’s staff to remain in place for 2025 and ’26.

The offensive tackle position has been a point of emphasis for the Steelers in recent years. The team used a first-round pick on Broderick Jones in 2023, then added Fautanu during Day 1 last spring. Especially with veteran Dan Moore Jr. no longer in the picture (after he took a lucrative Titans deal in free agency), Jones is in position to move from right to left tackle next season. That will leave Fautanu to occupy the RT spot in the starting lineup, but Anderson will be an option to fill in if required.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/11/25

Saturday’s minor transactions and more standard gameday practice squad elevations for the wild-card round of the playoffs:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

As a member of the practice squad this year, Clifford, the second-year passer out of Penn State, was elevated twice. As a member of the active roster, he will be able to serve as Green Bay’s emergency third quarterback, which could be beneficial after starter Jordan Love was knocked out of the team’s Week 18 loss with an elbow injury on his throwing arm, and his backup, Malik Willis, was dealing with a thumb injury on his throwing hand. Both players had two full practices this week and carry no injury designation, but the team will be taking no chances.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/7/25

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

A handful of playoff teams designated players for return from IR today, opening the 21-day window for activation. While there’s a chance these players are activated at some point during the postseason, they could also merely be providing the team with another body during practices.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/24

Saturday’s minor moves and standard gameday elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Demercado has taken a backseat to Florida State third-round rookie Trey Benson, but he has averaged 9.3 yards per carry on 24 carries this year. Palardy will take over punting duties with Gillikin landing on injured reserve.

Jackson signed with Bills in late July, and although he was among the team’s final roster cuts he was immediately retained via a practice squad deal. This elevation means Week 15 will mark his first time spent on the active roster this season. The 36-year-old has started all but 10 of his 203 NFL games, but last season was marred by suspensions which led to his Broncos release. Jackson could suit up for Buffalo down the stretch as a gameday elevation in a bid to rebuild his stock to a degree.

With the playoffs nearly out of reach and quarterback Joe Burrow dealing with a few ailments (wrist and knee), the Bengals don’t seem to be taking any chances. Jake Browning will continue serving as the primary backup, while Woodside’s promotion will allow him to act as the emergency backup.

Adams has seen his biggest NFL roles during his time in Pittsburgh. Though he hasn’t gotten the same number of starts as he had in 2022 and 2023, he’s continued the same level of production. After missing the last four games, he’ll be looking to return to the field as early as tomorrow.

Steelers Sign OT Calvin Anderson

After placing offensive tackle Troy Fautanu on injured reserve this past weekend, the Steelers have added some necessary depth at the position. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that the team has signed Calvin Anderson.

[RELATED: Steelers Place OT Troy Fautanu On IR]

The lineman worked out with the squad earlier today, leading to a deal. It sounds like Anderson will immediately join Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster.

A former UDFA out of Texas, Anderson had short stints with the Patriots and Jets to begin his career before finding a home in Denver. The lineman got into 41 games for the Broncos between 2020 and 2022, starting 12 of those appearances. He inked a two-year deal with the Patriots last offseason but started only two of his five appearances before he suffered a heart contusion during practice. Anderson subsequently landed on injured reserve and didn’t play again in 2023.

The 28-year-old was back on the field with the Patriots this past preseason, but he landed on injured reserve before final cuts. That would have prevented him from playing in 2024, but the Patriots later released him, paving the way for an eventual job elsewhere.

While the Steelers got some good news on Fautanu today, the team will still be stressing their OT depth moving forward. Broderick Jones will likely find himself back in the starting lineup, although the first-round pick had just been definitively replaced by Fautanu following an ugly Week 2 performance. The organization’s only other depth option was practice squad rookie Doug Nester, so the team was destined to make another move at the position.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/30/24

Here are Friday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Waived: CB Eric Scott Jr.

New England Patriots

Players let go through injury settlements are open to return to their previous teams after an agreed-upon period of time. Jones could therefore return to the Cardinals’ backfield later on in 2024, after he played three games with the team last year. The 26-year-old has also seen time with the Saints and Seahawks, logging a rotational role while contributing on special teams.

Like Jones, Anderson (who missed time last year with malaria) will be able to sign with any interested team if he does not return to New England. The latter made five appearances with New England last season, starting twice. He was one of several players competing for a spot on the Patriots’ uncertain tackle depth chart until being placed on injured reserve during final roster cutdowns. A Broncos blocker from 2020-22, Anderson has 14 total starts to his name and could provide a depth option to his next team once healthy.

Patriots Set 53-Man Roster

The Patriots have set their first 53-man roster in a post-Bill Belichick era. The team announced the following moves:

Released:

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Placed on reserve/NFI list:

Placed on IR:

Atonio Mafi was a fifth-round pick by the Patriots just last year, and he ended up starting five of his 17 appearances as a rookie. It wasn’t pretty for the UCLA alumni, as Pro Football Focus ultimately graded Mafi as the second-worst qualifying guard in the NFL (among 79 qualifying players).

Kevin Harris was a sixth-round pick by New England in 2022, but the running back struggled to carve out a role through his two seasons with the squad. The South Carolina product was ultimately limited to nine appearances (one start), collecting 175 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.

Patriots Eyeing OT Depth?

With the Patriots now out of the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes, the team will pivot to improving other offensive positions. According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, the Patriots are expected to “turn their full attention” to acquiring offensive tackle depth. The organization could consider a number of different routes as they seek reinforcement, including a trade, a veteran free agent, or an inexperienced tryout player.

[RELATED: Latest On Patriots G Cole Strange’s Knee Injury]

With Trent Brown now out of the picture, the Patriots lack experience at both offensive tackle spots. At the moment, there are four clear candidates for the two starting gigs (per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald): Chukwuma Okorafor, Vederian Lowe, Calvin Anderson, and rookie third-round pick Caedan Wallace. One team source told Kyed that Okorafor and Lowe are likely in the lead at the moment, although Anderson was recently playing with the starters while Okorafor nursed an undisclosed injury.

As Kyed notes, Jerod Mayo is hoping to have his Week 1 starters locked in before the team’s third preseason game. So, if the Patriots plan to bring in another option at the position, the acquisition will only have a couple of weeks to make a good impression.

The current free agent market includes the likes of Donovan Smith, David Bakhtiari, D.J. Humphries, and Jason Peters. If the rebuilding Patriots intended to bring in one of these veterans, they probably would have already done so. More likely, the Patriots will continue to explore the trade market for some depth, and they could also hold out for players who shake loose at the end of the preseason (although that won’t help their starting lineup uncertainty).

Whatever combination of players the Patriots settle on for their offensive line, it’s unlikely to stick throughout the entire regular season. Former first-round guard Cole Strange will eventually return from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. Whenever Strange comes back, the Patriots could consider moving Michael Onwenu back to offensive tackle, although the recent extension recipient has exclusively played guard throughout training camp.