Chiefs Place OT Jawaan Taylor, LB Leo Chenal On IR
The Chiefs made a flurry of roster moves on Saturday ahead of their Week 16 matchup with the Titans, per a team announcement.
Right tackle Jawaan Taylor and linebacker Leo Chenal were placed on injured reserve, ending their seasons. Taylor started the first 12 games in the season but has been absent for the last three weeks due to a triceps injury. He is the second Chiefs starting offensive lineman to land on injured reserve this month, joining left tackle Josh Simmons. Jaylon Moore has taken over the right tackle job in Taylor’s stead and will likely continue in that capacity.
Chenal commanded a 53% snap share in the first 14 games of the season before going down with a shoulder injury. He was the Chiefs’ third inside linebacker behind Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill; the trio have taken virtually all of the team’s snaps at the position. Chenal’s absence will likely put fourth-year linebacker Jack Cochrane into a bigger role, though Kansas City could also give rookies like Cooper McDonald and Jeffrey Bassa some opportunities.
To replace Taylor and Chenal on the active roster, the Chiefs signed offensive tackle Chukwuebuka Godrick and quarterback Chris Oladokun from their practice squad. Godrick will provide tackle depth amid the team’s current O-line injuries and Oladokun will back up Gardner Minshew for the rest of the year. Linebacker Cole Christiansen and offensive tackle Matt Waletzko were also elevated from the practice squad to provide depth at the Chiefs’ injured positions.
The Chiefs also waived running back Elijah Mitchell and replaced him with Dameon Pierce. Mitchell signed in Kansas City this offseason but has only appeared in one game during the regular season. Pierce was waived by the Texans in November and signed with Kansas City’s practice squad shortly after. Sunday will be Pierce’s Chiefs debut, and his promotion to the active roster suggests he’ll be in line for some touches during the game.
Chiefs Signing RB Dameon Pierce
It was expected that running back Dameon Pierce would have plenty of suitors following his release from the Texans. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, it’s the Chiefs who have landed Pierce’s signature. The 25-year-old heads to Kansas City on a practice squad deal. 
Once viewed as a potential franchise back following a rookie campaign in which he rushed for an impressive 939 yards on 220 carries, Pierce’s production in Houston declined significantly in each successive season. He served as a featured back as a rookie, with his 220 carries eclipsing those of Dare Ogunbowale (42), Royce Freeman (41), Rex Burkhead (26), and Eno Benjamin (3).
By Year 2, Pierce’s rushing yard total was more than halved as the team brought in veteran Devin Singletary, who averaged three carries for every two for Pierce. Last year, the Texans once again went to the free agent market, going for an even bigger name in Joe Mixon. As a result, Pierce saw himself relegated to the role of the other backs from his rookie season. Pierce’s 40 carries last year tied with Cam Akers‘ — who only played in five games — and paled in comparison to Mixon’s 245 carries.
This year, despite the fact that Mixon has spent the entire season on the reserve/non-football injury list, Pierce has remained an afterthought in the Texans’ backfield. Instead, fourth-round rookie Woody Marks and veteran Nick Chubb have manned the two-headed rushing attack in Houston with nearly identical carry, yard, and touchdown totals. With Pierce’s role declining to the point of obscurity, the Texans made the move to put him on waivers.
Pierce is joining a banged up running backs room in Kansas City. The Chiefs have a stable of backs featuring Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Brashard Smith, and Elijah Mitchell on the active roster and Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the practice squad. Pacheco hasn’t played since October, and Mitchell has been a healthy scratch in every game but one, so Edwards-Helaire was called up as a practice squad elevation to backup Hunt and Smith today.
Pierce adds another body to the stable, boasting previous experience as a featured back. It’s been a long time since he’s enjoyed that kind of volume, but perhaps, now that he’s gotten out from under DeMeco Ryans, he’ll be able to reestablish himself in a new city and uniform.
Texans Waive RB Dameon Pierce
NOVEMBER 21: Pierce may clear waivers today due to the timing of when his Texans tenure ended, but Wilson reports there are multiple teams interested in him. If/when Pierce reaches free agency, a new deal could be lined up in short order.
NOVEMBER 20: The Texans waived fourth-year running back Dameon Pierce on Thursday, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. To fill his spot on the active roster, cornerback Ajani Carter was signed from the practice squad.
Pierce, 25, once seemed like he could be the future of the Texans’ backfield before injuries derailed his time in Houston. The former Florida Gator was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 draft and earned a starting job as a rookie. Pierce racked up 939 yards in 13 games – 72.2 yards per game, the eighth-most in the league – before a high ankle sprain landed him on injured reserve and ended his season.
The Texans signed veteran Devin Singletary during the 2023 offseason and handed him the lead back role. Pierce struggled behind him, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry and missing three games due to another ankle sprain. Houston then got Joe Mixon, reducing Pierce’s workload further. Another injury, this time to his hamstring, sidelined him at the start of the 2024 season and limited his work for the rest of the year. He finished with just 40 carries for 293 yards, though 92 of those came on a single rush. Without that play, he still averaged a solid 5.15 yards per carry, but again, Houston looked elsewhere in the offseason, signing Nick Chubb and draft Woody Marks with a fourth-round pick.
With Mixon sidelined by a foot injury to start the 2025 season, Chubb and Marks have led the backfield with just 10 carries for Pierce. Mixon is now expected to miss the rest of the season, which was reported hours before Pierce’s release hit the NFL’s transaction wire, making it a somewhat surprising move. If anything, it speaks volumes about how much Pierce fell out of favor under DeMeco Ryans‘ regime. Despite a promising rookie season, Pierce’s opportunities undeniably plummeted after Ryans was hired. Other teams will now have a chance to claim him off waivers; if that does not happen, he will be free to sign with any team (or their practice squad) as a free agent.
Carter, an undrafted rookie out of the University of Houston, signed with the Texans’ practice squad in September and saw his first NFL action against the Titans last week. His special teams work must have satisfied the coaches, earning him a 53-man roster spot and a role on game days for the foreseeable future.
The Texans also elevated veteran safety Jalen Mills and undrafted rookie linebacker Jackson Woodard to the active roster for Thursday night’s matchup with the Bills.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/25
NFL teams are continuing to adjust their rosters to weather injuries and add depth with preseason games kicking off later this week. Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: OL Dan Feeney
- Waived: DE Kameron Cline, OL Rush Reimer
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Mitch Van Vooren, RB Trayveon Williams
- Waived: OT Julian Pearl
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Luq Barcoo, CB D.J. Miller
- Waived/injured: RB Kye Robichaux
- Placed on IR: S Dan Jackson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Corey Ballentine
- Released: CB Gregory Junior
Houston Texans
- Activated from active/PUP list: RB Dameon Pierce
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OL Tremayne Anchrum, DL Austin Johnson
- Waived: WR J.J. Jones
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DL Nesta Jade Silvera
- Waived/injured: DL Josh Fuga
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: TE Chris Myarick
- Placed on IR: TE Jalin Conyers
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Nick Vannett
- Waived: OT Marcellus Johnson
New England Patriots
- Activated from active/PUP list: OL Vederian Lowe
New York Giants
- Signed: LB K.J. Cloyd, RB Jonathan Ward
- Waived/injured: RB Rushawn Baker
- Placed on IR: LB Ty Summers
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Michael Dowell, LS Zach Triner
- Placed on IR: S AJ Finley
- Waived: LB Seth Coleman
The Lions’ additions were likely a result of a shoulder injury to second-year cornerback Ennis Rakestraw. Head coach Dan Campbell said (via team writer Tim Twentyman) that “it’s going to be a while, at best” until Rakestraw returns to the field.
Ballentine returns to Green Bay, where he spent the last three seasons, after a brief stint in Indianapolis this offseason. He started six games and played 488 snaps for the Packers in 2023, but primarily contributed on special teams in 2022 and 2024.
The Giants are dealing with a number of injuries in their running back room, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. Only Tyrone Tracy, Devin Singletary, and Darius Miller are healthy, and the first two may not play much in the preseason. New York worked out a number of running backs on Monday, including Myles Gaskin and Isaiah Spiller (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson), but Ward impressed enough to join the squad moving forward.
Finley went down with a knee injury at training camp that is believed to be serious, pending additional tests, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. Triner, meanwhile, will fill in for Seahawks third-year long snapper Chris Stoll, who is dealing with a back issue, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/25
With several training camps underway, here are today’s minor NFL transactions:
Baltimore Ravend
- Placed on active/NFI list: LB Jake Hummel
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on active/NFI list: WR Laviska Shenault
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Tre Swilling
- Waived: QB Ethan Garbers
Chicago Bears
- Released: S Tarvarius Moore
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed off waivers (from Eagles): DE K.J. Henry
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from active/PUP list: CB Micah Robinson, LB Quay Walker
Houston Texans
- Placed on active/PUP list: DE Denico Autry, DE Derek Barnett, C Eli Cox, DT Foley Fatukasi, DT Kurt Hinish, LB K.C. Ossai, RB Dameon Pierce, RB J.J. Taylor
- Placed on active/NFI list: CB Alijah Huzzie, RB Joe Mixon
- Waived: CB Keydrain Calligan
Los Angeles Chargers
- Reverted to reserve/PUP list: T Savion Washington
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on active/PUP list: WR Tru Edwards, TE Mark Redman
New England Patriots
- Activated from active/PUP list: LB Jahlani Tavai
- Activated from active/NFI list: CB Carlton Davis, WR Jeremiah Webb
New York Giants
- Reverted to reserve/PUP list: S Anthony Johnson
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Samuel Jackson
- Activated from active/NFI list: LB Aaron Smith
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Joe Evans
- Placed on active/PUP list: LB Nakobe Dean
- Waived (with injury designation): OL Marcus Tate
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on active/NFI list: DT Johnathan Hankins
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Timmy Horne, RB Jermar Jefferson
- Place on IR: QB Will Levis (story)
- Placed on reserve/retired list: OLB Lorenzo Carter (story)
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR Tay Martin
- Placed on active/PUP list: G Sam Cosmi (story)
- Placed on reserve/did not report list: WR Terry McLaurin (story)
Houston fans may be discouraged to see a few big names on injured lists, but all is not lost. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that Mixon’s “medical outlook is positive” as the team plans to gradually increase his activity throughout camp. Likewise, Autry is expected to ease his way back into camp workouts, as well. Pierce, on the other hand, is expected to be ready to come off the list at the start of camp.
Per ESPN’s John Keim, Cosmi likely won’t see much time on the field in camp, but he appears to be hitting all the mile markers en route to being healthy for the start of the regular season. With McLaurin officially beginning his holdout yesterday, the team has made the corresponding roster move. McLaurin will rack up fines of $50K per each day missed, but if the team can come to terms on an extension, they can make sure those fines are nullified.
Texans Injury Updates: Ward, Pierce, Mixon
Veteran safety Jimmie Ward missed seven games last year in his first NFL season away from San Francisco after following DeMeco Ryans to Houston. He was able to return last weekend after missing the team’s previous game against the Jaguars while hurt, but after aggravating his injury, there is concern that Ward could miss multiple weeks, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.
In his return from injury, Ward first headed to the blue medical tent to get a shoulder stinger checked out. When he returned to the game, the 33-year-old aggravated his groin injury, causing him to leave the game. Afterwards, Ward was taken to the hospital to further examine his groin injury.
Wilson provided an update yesterday, reporting that imaging confirmed the initial diagnosis on the groin injury and that Ward would not play this weekend. The update left it unclear on whether or not Ward would be out multiple weeks, but given the veteran’s age and injury history, it certainly can’t be ruled out.
Here are a couple updates on other injuries in Houston:
- On Wednesday, Wilson reported that running back Dameon Pierce had returned to practice after a four-week absence. The third-year back exited the team’s season opener with a strained hamstring after only three carries. Hamstring injuries have a tendency to nag, and this one forced Pierce to miss four games. With starter Joe Mixon injured, as well, the Texans have been making do with a rushing attack consisting of Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale. Akers and Ogunbowale should be receiving reinforcements soon.
- In addition to Pierce, Houston welcomed Mixon back to practice yesterday, as well, according to Wilson. After falling victim to the now illegal hip-drop tackle in a Week 2 matchup against the Bears, Mixon has missed the team’s last three games. The veteran will hope to return to game action soon, but unlike Pierce, Mixon still holds a questionable injury status heading into the weekend.
NFL Injury Updates: Texans, Herbert, Love, Mims
The Texans offense has been inundated with injuries over the past week. Both starting running back Joe Mixon and primary backup rusher Dameon Pierce are set to miss the team’s trip to Minnesota this weekend, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. In addition, center Jarrett Patterson has been ruled out, as well.
Mixon is still dealing with an ankle injury that knocked him out of last week’s win over the Bears. After an explosive Week 1 debut with the Texans, in which he rushed 30 times for 159 yards and a touchdown, Mixon only rushed the ball nine times before getting knocked out last week. Pierce was absent in last week’s game as he dealt with a hamstring injury that he suffered in Week 1.
With its RB1 and RB2 on the injury report, Houton will have to turn to Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale in Week 3. The team also called up practice squad rusher J.J. Taylor as some potential insurance. Juice Scruggs should be back starting at center, though he’s also listed as questionable with a groin injury. With Patterson out, Kendrick Green will be the backup center.
Here are some other injury updates from around the NFL:
- Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has spent the week dealing with a high ankle sprain, barely appearing at practice since last Sunday. Yesterday, it was announced that there was no decision on whether or not he would be able to start this Sunday. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, though, there’s growing optimism in Los Angeles that Herbert will be able to start in Pittsburgh tomorrow. He’s currently listed as questionable, and he’ll reportedly test the ankle before the game before making a final call.
- Another starting quarterback, Jordan Love, is currently listed as questionable to play tomorrow. The Packers anticipated a multi-week absence for their newly-paid passer, but per Pelissero, the team has not yet ruled out the possibility that Love returns after only one absence. Still, Green Bay called up Sean Clifford from the practice squad. Clifford will back up Malik Willis if Love is unable to go in time for tomorrow.
- We already knew that wide receiver Tee Higgins was set to make his 2024 debut on Monday, but Pelissero adds that rookie first-round offensive tackle Amarius Mims has been removed from the injury report and is set to make his NFL debut for the Bengals, as a result. Mims had been dealing with a pectoral muscle injury that limited his time in training camp and kept him out of the team’s first two contests. It’s unclear what his role would be if he does play immediately, as Trent Brown has been starting for the first few games, but regardless, Cincinnati will be happy to add a first-round talent to their offense this week.
AFC South Rumors: Lawrence, Pierce, Skowronek
Many are under the impression that Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence could be the next NFL passer to sign a big extension. Jacksonville is on board with that opinion as talks with Lawrence continue to progress. ESPN’s Michael DiRocco believes that, when a Lawrence extension does occur, it will look a lot like that of recently extended Lions quarterback Jared Goff in many regards.
This prediction comes from talks with NFL front office executives from outside of Jacksonville, who expect Lawrence’s average annual salary to just outpace Goff’s figure of $53MM per year. They also expect the deal to resemble the structure of Goff’s deal, which spans four years and included a $73MM signing bonus, spreading that amount over five years. Like most long-term contracts, the deal also guarantees two lower-paid salaries at the start of the deal while incentivizing future talks as salaries skyrocket in Year 3 of the contract.
Essentially, this executive is under the impression that, as of right now, Lawrence has done enough to help push the ever-growing value of quarterback contracts but has not done enough to eclipse Bengals passer Joe Burrow‘s league-high AAV of $55MM per year.
Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC South:
- Texans running back Dameon Pierce put up an impressive rookie season as a fourth-round pick out of Florida in 2022 but saw an unprecedented drop off during a sophomore slump last season. After nearly breaking the 1,000-yard rushing mark in his first season, Pierce watched his starting job get stolen by veteran free agent Devin Singletary midway through his second season. Now, in Year 3, Pierce will have to compete with another veteran free agent addition in Joe Mixon, who is widely expected to start for Houston in 2024. Head coach DeMeco Ryans claims that, despite Pierce’s nearly cemented status as RB2, we can expect to see a fairly healthy dose of the third-year rusher as part of a one-two punch with Mixon next season, per Michael Shapiro of Chron.
- Lastly, the Texans recently traded for Rams wide receiver Ben Skowronek, making yet another trade addition to their receiving corps this offseason. Already rostering, Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Robert Woods, Noah Brown, and John Metchie, adding another receiver hardly seemed like a priority. Well, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Skowronek not only adds some much-needed size to the room, but he also emerged as an effective special teams contributor in Los Angeles. Skowronek’s special teams prowess should help him to potentially hold on to a roster spot come September.
Texans Offered Saquon Barkley Over $11MM Per Year; Team Pursued Tony Pollard, D’Andre Swift
With C.J. Stroud locked into rookie-deal money through at least 2025, the Texans have a rare opportunity. They can build around a low-cost quarterback who showed star potential as a rookie. The team made some moves to capitalize this offseason, deviating from a conservative first three years — with regards to free agency — under Nick Caserio.
The Texans added the likes of Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter, Azeez Al-Shaair and Denico Autry. Houston hoped to bring in a higher-salary target at running back as well, but mutual interest between the team and Saquon Barkley did not produce a deal. Despite rostering Jalen Hurts on a $51MM-per-year contract, the Eagles landed Barkley on a three-year, $37.75MM deal that includes $26MM guaranteed at signing. Barkley sits as the NFL’s fourth-highest-paid RB, cashing in after Giants negotiations produced a lesser offer and a franchise tag last summer.
Houston was willing to go into this neighborhood for Barkley, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who reports the team offered the two-time Pro Bowler a three-year deal worth just north of $33MM. The AAV here checks in just south of Barkley’s $12.58MM Philly number, but given the guarantee at signing the Eagles authorized, it is unsurprising the 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year made the choice he did.
The wave of RB contracts authorized in the early 2020s have led to a few high-profile releases, pay cuts or trades. Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook, Aaron Jones, Joe Mixon and Derrick Henry are no longer attached to eight-figure-per-year accords. The Browns slashed Nick Chubb‘s pay last month, as the perennial Pro Bowler is coming off two knee surgeries, and Josh Jacobs‘ Packers deal only includes $12.5MM guaranteed at signing. Given the state of the RB position, Barkley did well to score the guarantee did he going into his seventh season.
Barkley, 27, said he was drawn to the Texans before considering the Eagles. But the Penn State alum certainly has Pennsylvania ties; much of his family is from the area. Although the Texans had the Eagles beat for cap space, they stood down on Barkley. The team soon gave Hunter a near-fully guaranteed contract and made an interesting commitment to Mixon. Just before the Bengals were set to release their seven-year starter, the Texans agreed to send a seventh-round pick for the veteran back. Mixon soon agreed to new terms with the Texans — two years, $19.75MM ($13MM guaranteed).
The Texans ended up giving Mixon a better deal than they proposed Devin Singletary, per Wilson, who adds the team offered its primary 2023 starter a contract averaging $4MM per year. Singletary agreed to a three-year, $16.5MM deal (with $9.5MM fully guaranteed) to reunite with Brian Daboll in New York.
As a Wilson pre-free agency report suggested, the Texans did discuss terms with Tony Pollard and D’Andre Swift. Pollard ended up with the Titans (three years, $21.75MM) and Swift became the first UFA from this year’s class to commit to a team, signing a three-year, $24MM deal with the Bears.
Only Barkley and Swift ($14MM) scored more fully guaranteed money among this year’s free agent RBs than Mixon, who is coming off his fourth 1,000-yard rushing season but has 1,854 career touches — third-most among active backs. Charged with elevating a Texans rushing attack that ranked 22nd last season, Mixon is going into his age-28 slate.
The Texans will count on Mixon, but Caserio said (via SI.com’s Coty M. Davis) Dameon Pierce — who followed up an impressive rookie season with a down 2023 — remains a “big part” of the team’s 2024 plan. The 2022 fourth-rounder averaged just 2.9 yards per carry last season, seeing Singletary usurp him as the Texans’ lead back down the stretch. The younger back will have a chance to rebound, albeit in a now-Mixon-fronted backfield.
Texans Eyeing Free Agent Running Backs?
After Dameon Pierce struggled during his sophomore campaign, the Texans could be in the market for a new starting running back. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, there’s buzz around the NFL that the Texans could try to improve at the position as they look to take some of the load off quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Pierce appeared to be the team’s RB of the future following his standout rookie campaign. The 2022 fourth-round pick finished his first season in the NFL with 1,104 yards from scrimmage, the third-most among rookie RBs (behind Kenneth Walker and Tyler Allgeier).
However, Pierce couldn’t replicate that production in 2023. He didn’t top four yards-per-rush in any of his first seven starts, and following a three-game inactive streak, he was firmly behind Devin Singletary on the depth chart.
Over those final seven games, Pierce only garnered 36 carries, and he was limited to only six offensive snaps in the postseason. In total, Pierce finished this past season with 517 yards from scrimmage on 158 touches, good for an average of 3.3 yards per touch. Pro Football Focus ultimately graded him 47th among 59 qualifying RBs.
Singletary topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage for a third-straight season, but the veteran is set to hit free agency. While there’s a chance he could look to extend his stay in Houston beyond one season, there’s no guarantee he’ll be back. Dare Ogunbowale is also an impending free agent, so the Texans will need to add some depth at the position.
While the organization could look to reset the position at the draft, it sounds like they’re considering using a chunk of their $60MM-plus in cap space at the RB position. Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Tony Pollard, and Austin Ekeler lead the list of free agent RBs heading into the offseason.