NFL Minor Transactions: 12/22/25
Today’s minor moves:
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from reserve/PUP: DL Collin Oliver
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: WR Coleman Owen, G Josh Sills
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: CB Eli Apple, LB Eric Kendricks
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: S D’Anthony Bell
Collin Oliver may finally make his NFL debut at some point over the final two weeks of the season. The rookie fifth-round pick was sidelined for all of training camp and the preseason with a hamstring injury, and he ultimately landed on the physically unable to perform list to begin the season. He had his practice window opened earlier this month, and he’s apparently showed enough progress to earn a spot on the active roster. The Oklahoma State product finished his college career 23.5 sacks and 40.5 tackles for loss.
Colts Place RT Braden Smith On IR
In his first game back from four-plus seasons in retirement, Colts quarterback Philip Rivers will not have a fully healthy offensive line on Sunday in Seattle. The Colts have placed starting right tackle Braden Smith on injured reserve, per a team announcement.
At 8-5 and fighting for its playoff life, Indianapolis will go the rest of the regular season without Smith. The 29-year-old suffered a concussion and a neck injury in a loss to Jacksonville last Sunday.
Along with the Seahawks, Smith will miss games against three other playoff hopefuls in the 49ers, Jaguars, and Texans in the next four weeks. He’ll be eligible to return if the Colts make the playoffs, but they’re on the outside looking in at the moment.
With the four-year, $72MM extension Smith signed in 2021 set to expire after the season, it’s possible he has played his last game with the Colts. The 6-foot-6, 312-pounder has spent his entire career with the franchise since it chose him 37th overall out of Auburn in 2018. Smith has started in 105 of 107 regular-season games, including all 13 in 2025. Pro Football Focus ranks Smith’s performance 45th among 81 qualifying tackles this year.
Looking to protect the immobile Rivers as he returns at age 44, the Colts will count on rookie Jalen Travis to fill in for Smith. Travis, a fourth-rounder from Iowa State, has taken just 73 offensive snaps in his first 13 games. In his starting debut, Travis will face a Seattle defense that ranks fourth in the league in sacks.
In addition to the Rivers and Smith transactions, the Colts elevated defensive tackle Chris Wormley and wide receiver Coleman Owen from the practice squad. It’s the third standard gameday elevation for Wormley, who has picked up five tackles and a sack in two games. If the Colts want to use Wormley again after Week 15, they’ll have to sign him to their active roster. Owen, an undrafted rookie from Ohio, is in line for his NFL debut.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC 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 Colts, Jaguars, Texans and Titans moves are noted below.
Houston Texans
Signed to practice squad:
- CB Damon Arnette, T Trent Brown, TE Harrison Bryant, DB Myles Bryant, DE Solomon Byrd, OL Eli Cox, FB Jakob Johnson, RB Jawhar Jordan, TE Luke Lachey, DT Haggai Ndubuisi, LB K.C. Ossai, DT Junior Tafuna, OL Jaylon Thomas, WR Jared Wayne, LB Jackson Woodard
Indianapolis Colts
Claimed:
- LB Chad Muma (from Jaguars)
Signed to practice squad:
- LB Austin Ajiake, RB Ulysses Bentley IV, RB Khalil Herbert, T Marcellus Johnson, WR Tyler Kahmann, CB Chris Lammons, TE Maximilian Mang, TE Sean McKeon, DE Durell Nchami, WR Coleman Owen, G Josh Sills, DT Josh Tupou, C Mose Vavao, S Trey Washington
Jacksonville Jaguars
Signed to practice squad:
- WR Chandler Brayboy, OL Jerome Carvin, LB Branson Combs, QB Seth Henigan, TE Patrick Herbert,RB Ja’Quinden Jackson, OL Ricky Lee, CB Keni-H Lovely, TE Quintin Morris, DB Jabbar Muhammad, DL Keivie Rose, DB Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig, WR Dorian Singer, OL Sal Wormley
Tennessee Titans
Claimed:
- CB Jalyn Armour-Davis (from Ravens), LB Dorian Mausi (from Vikings), C.J. Ravenell (from Ravens), CB Samuel Womack (from Colts)
Waived:
- DT Timmy Horne, LB Curtis Jacobs, CB Gabe Jeudy-Lally, T John Ojukwu
Released:
Signed to practice squad:
-
DB Kendell Brooks, DL Ali Gaye, DT Cam Horsley, RB Jermar Jefferson, WR Mason Kinsey, RB Jordan Mims, TE Thomas Odukova, CB Amani Oruwariye, WR James Proche, WR Xavier Restrepo, DT Isaiah Raikes, OL Andrew Rupcich, QB Trevor Siemian, DL Carlos Watkins
Colts Place LB Jaylon Carlies On IR, Set 53-Man Roster
The Colts have cut down their roster to 53 players. The team announced the following moves:
Released:
- RB Khalil Herbert
- CB Chris Lammons
- TE Sean McKeon
- CB Duke Shelley
- WR Laquon Treadwell
- DT Josh Tupou
Waived:
- LB Austin Ajiake
- WR Ajou Ajou
- QB Jason Bean
- RB Ulysses Bentley IV
- CB JuJu Brents
- LB Jake Chaney
- DT Devonta Davis
- LB Solomon DeShields
- T Marshall Foerner
- C Wesley French
- DE Marcus Haynes
- CB Alex Johnson
- T Marcellus Johnson
- WR Tyler Kahmann
- DE Isaiah Land
- DE Desmond Little
- TE Maximilian Mang
- CB B.J. Mayes
- DE Durell Nchami
- RB Nate Notel
- WR Coleman Owen
- WR Landon Parker
- G Josh Sills
- WR Blayne Taylor
- S Ladarius Tennison
- LB Joseph Vaughn
- C Mose Vavao
- S Trey Washington
- CB Samuel Womack
- TE Jelani Woods
- RB Nay’Quan Wright
Waived/injured:
- K Maddux Trujillo
Placed on IR (designated for return):
Jaylon Carlies will be forced to miss at least the first four games of the upcoming season, but it sounds like it should be a minimum stay on IR for the linebacker. According to Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star, Carlies should only require a short stint on injured reserve as he recovers from an ankle injury. The 2024 fifth-round pick started six of his 10 appearances for the Colts last season, collecting 36 tackles and one sack.
While he’s not the biggest name from the list of cuts, linebacker Austin Ajiake was waived in a bit of a surprising move. As Erickson notes, the former UDFA spent significant time with the second-team unit during the preseason, and he even got some reps with the first team. A UNLV product, Ajiake has also had stints with the Broncos, Raiders, and Packers. He spent the entire 2024 campaign on Indy’s taxi squad.
Colts Reveal 14-Man UDFA Class
After selecting an eight-man draft class equally balanced on offense and defense, the Colts continued their balanced ways with 14 undrafted free agent signings. Here are the newest additions to the team’s 22-man rookie class:
- Devonta Davis, DT (FAU)
- Solomon DeShields, LB (Texas A&M)
- Johnathan Edwards, CB (Tulane)
- Joe Evans, DT (UTSA)
- Marshall Foerner, T (Minnesota State)
- Tyler Kahmann, WR (Emporia State)
- Desmond Little, DE (UAB)
- Maximilian Mang, TE (Syracuse)
- Coleman Owen, WR (Ohio)
- Landon Parker, WR (Troy)
- Blayne Taylor, WR (Abilene Christian)
- Ladarius Tennison, S (UCF)
- Maddux Trujillo, K (Temple)
- Trey Washington, S (Ole Miss)
Between Washington and Tennison, the Colts brought in a strong one-two punch at safety. Washington had a knack for making a play on the ball in the air for the Rebels. During his final two years in University, Washington had four picks and 10 passes defensed. Tennison was much more of a strong safety, only recording one interception and four passes defensed in his career. Though he comes out of UCF, he played for two years alongside Washington at Ole Miss after transferring from Auburn. In those two years with the Rebels, Tennison logged 94 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.
Trujillo is the other name to note in the class. Matt Gay was mostly reliable in Indianapolis last year, but he struggled from deep, with all six of his misses coming from beyond 50 yards. The Colts released the veteran kicker a month ago, so Trujillo will now take part in kicking competition with Spencer Shrader for the placekicking job.
Shrader has a bit of a head start on Trujillo. He spent the offseason in Indianapolis last year as part of the team’s 2024 undrafted free agent class. After an injury to Gay, Shrader kicked in the team’s season opener, making three extra point attempts. He was released in mid-October and signed to the Jets’ practice squad, getting elevated for one game and converting his only attempt from 45 yards. The Chiefs then signed Shrader off New York’s taxi squad when Harrison Butker got hurt, and in two games, Shrader converted all six extra point attempts and all three field goal attempts, including a walk-off field goal to beat the Panthers in late November. He was placed on injured reserve in December and signed to return to Indianapolis in March.
Now, Shrader will have to hold off Trujillo, a former soccer player with a huge leg. While Trujillo only converted 70 of 97 field goal attempts over his time split at Austin Peay and Temple, Trujillo caught the eyes of plenty of scouts last year as he set a school record with a 64-yard kick against Utah State and then became just the third player in NCAA history with at least two 60-yard conversions two weeks later at UConn. After Gay’s struggles from deep cost him his role in Indianapolis, the Colts will surely be hoping to see Trujillo’s strong leg translate to the NFL level.