Broncos Activate C Luke Wattenberg From IR; RB J.K. Dobbins Ruled Out
After losing him for the final couple weeks of the regular season and missing him in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Broncos have activated starting center Luke Wattenberg off their injured reserve in time for tomorrow’s Conference Championship. In a corresponding move, the team placed quarterback Bo Nix on IR following his season-ending ankle injury. 
After playing every snap of the season through 15 games for the Broncos, Wattenberg appeared on the injury report leading into Week 17 with a shoulder issue. Ultimately, it was determined that he would need to be placed on IR with the possibility that he may be able to make a return at about this point of the playoffs.
Denver turned to backup center Alex Forsyth, a third-year lineman taken out of the seventh round from Oregon, to take over in Wattenberg’s absence. Forsyth had previous subbed in as a starter for four games that Wattenberg missed in 2024, as well. In his role as the backup center, Forsyth ended up having some injury issues himself. In both his Week 18 and Divisional Round starts, third-string center Sam Mustipher was tasked with filling in for a couple snaps in place of Forsyth.
Now Wattenberg returns to close out the season for the Broncos, who are limping along at this point after the injury to Nix. The team is also without veteran running back J.K. Dobbins, who was officially ruled out yesterday and will remain on IR, per Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette. Additionally, second-leading wide receiver Troy Franklin seems to be trending in the wrong direction as he attempts to work through a hamstring injury.
As a result, the Broncos are utilizing their two standard gameday practice squad elevations to call up wide receivers Michael Bandy and Elijah Moore for Sunday’s game. Moore was called up last week, as well, but has still yet to make his Broncos debut. According to Tomasson, Moore was aware that he wouldn’t be playing last week and that the elevation was just a way of rewarding him with a full game check. Franklin’s hamstring issue opens the door, though, to some potential playing time for taxi squad pass catchers.
Though the offense isn’t at 100 percent, it’s the Broncos defense that’s gotten them this far. They’ll need that side of the ball to hold off the visiting Patriots enough to allow for backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, rookie running back RJ Harvey, and the rest of the offense to find success at this most crucial point of the season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/16/26
Friday’s only minor transactions:
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: TE Caleb Lohner, WR Elijah Moore
With one early playoff game tomorrow to kick off the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Broncos have announced their standard gameday practice squad elevations to match Buffalo’s. Moore will have a chance to make his Broncos debut tomorrow. He signed with Denver in early December after spending half the season with the team he’ll be playing against Saturday afternoon.
Broncos, WR Elijah Moore Agree To Deal
Elijah Moore visited the Broncos yesterday. That workout obviously went well, as the sides have agreed to terms on a deal. 
Moore is signing to Denver’s practice squad, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. He will look to find playing time on his latest team down the stretch. For the Broncos, this move will provide depth at the receiver spot as they look to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Buffalo’s Brandin Cooks addition led to a mutual decision with Moore’s camp to part ways. After clearing waivers, Moore became a free agent. In relatively short order, he managed to line up a Broncos visit and now a contract. It will be interesting to see if he receives a look on the active roster or finds himself as one of Denver’s gameday elevations over the near future.
A second-round pick of the Jets in 2021, Moore spent just two years in New York. He was traded to the Browns ahead of the 2023 season, the first of two he spent in Cleveland. The Ole Miss product totaled 25 starts during his tenure with the Browns. That included a career-high 640 yards in his first Cleveland season. Moore’s Buffalo signing did not result in a productive outing, though, as he managed only nine scoreless catches while handling a rotational role.
To no surprise, the Broncos have been led in receiving by Courtland Sutton this season. Wideouts Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant and Marvin Mims have chipped in on offense, but Denver sits just 17th in the NFL in passing yards per game. Moore, 25, will of course not be expected to make a major impact for the 10-2 team upon arrival. He could nevertheless serve as a depth option in the slot for Denver down the stretch and through the playoffs.
Broncos Host WR Elijah Moore
Recently released wide receiver Elijah Moore could hop from one AFC playoff contender to another. Moore visited the AFC West-leading Broncos on Monday, Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette reports.
Moore has been searching for a new team since Buffalo waived him last Wednesday. After the Bills added Brandin Cooks to what has been an underwhelming receiving corps in 2025, they and Moore mutually agreed to part ways.
Moore, a 2021 second-round pick from Mississippi, divided the first four seasons of his career between the Jets and Browns. The 5-foot-10, 178-pounder averaged roughly 50 catches, 541 yards, and two touchdowns per year during that span.
Despite his decent production in New York and Cleveland, Moore went without a free agent contract until after the draft. The Bills scooped him up in late April on a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $2.5MM.
Although the Bills’ investment in Moore was modest, they got little to no value out of it. Moore played in nine games with Buffalo and snagged just nine of 17 targets for 112 yards. His only touchdown came on a four-yard run in Week 2. The Bills moved on after a Week 12 performance in which he caught one pass for minus-three yards in a loss to the Texans.
Like the Bills, the Broncos were reportedly interested in swinging a deal for a receiver before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. Neither team succeeded on that front. The Broncos then reunited with Lil’Jordan Humphrey, whom they signed off the Giants’ practice squad, on Nov. 12.
With Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, and Marvin Mims locked in as the Broncos’ top four receivers, Humphrey has played just 23 offensive snaps over two games in his return to Denver. He didn’t catch a pass in either of those contests.
It’s unclear whether the Broncos are considering adding Moore to their active roster, which could come at Humphrey’s expense, or as veteran insurance on their practice squad. The Broncos’ taxi squad includes receivers Michael Bandy, A.T. Perry, and Kyrese Rowan, but those three have combined for just 23 catches in the pros.
Bills Waive WR Elijah Moore
The Bills signed wide receiver Brandin Cooks to their active roster on Tuesday. The addition of Cooks will cost fellow veteran wideout Elijah Moore his roster spot. The Bills cut Moore on Wednesday, per a team announcement. He’ll become a free agent if he passes through waivers unclaimed.
The Bills and Moore reached a mutual decision to split, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The slot receiver eyed more reps, and the Cooks acquisition was set to impede that path in Buffalo.
Moore had a highly productive three-year run at Mississippi, leading the Jets to take him 34th overall in the 2021 draft. After Moore combined for 80 catches and six touchdowns in 27 games during his first two NFL seasons, the Jets traded him and the 74th pick in the 2023 draft to the Browns for the 42nd selection. The deal came several months after Moore requested a trade out of New York.
Moore went on to amass 120 receptions and score three touchdowns during a two-year, 34-game stint in Cleveland, where he earned 25 starts. However, after Moore averaged a career-low 8.8 yards per catch on 61 grabs last year, the Browns didn’t re-sign him. Over a month after free agency opened, Moore settled for the Bills’ one-year offer worth up to $5MM (including $2.5MM in full guarantees) in late April.
Buffalo’s decision to sign the 25-year-old Moore came after it largely struck out in the draft at the receiver position. The Bills selected just one wideout, seventh-rounder Kaden Prather, who’s no longer with the organization. As a result, they opened this season with Moore joining Keon Coleman, Josh Palmer, Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, and Tyrell Shavers as their choices at receiver.
The Bills were likely optimistic Moore would emerge as a solid target for Josh Allen, by far the best quarterback he has ever paired with in his career. It didn’t work out, though. Moore logged two starts over nine appearances with the Bills and caught just nine of 17 targets for 112 yards. His only touchdown came on a four-yard run against the Jets in Week 2.
While Moore could land elsewhere down the stretch, the 7-4 Bills will hope Cooks provides a much-needed boost to their receiving corps. The Moore pickup didn’t yield positive results, while no one from the Coleman-Palmer-Samuel-Shavers group has emerged as a consistent complement to Shakir and currently injured tight end Dalton Kincaid.
Bills’ Draft Board Not Aligning At WR Led To Elijah Moore Signing
The Bills took some criticism after waiting until Round 7 to draft a wide receiver. One such instance prompted Brandon Beane to address the matter in a radio interview. But the ninth-year Buffalo GM did have the position on his radar during the draft.
Although the Bills gave Josh Palmer a three-year, $29MM deal in free agency, they were in on receivers during the draft. The team’s haul included a pick at the position — No. 240 overall pick Kaden Prather (Maryland) — but it certainly sounds like an earlier add was strongly considered. The team felt it needed to make a post-draft move to address the position.
Signing Elijah Moore after the draft, the Bills added a player who is likely a fifth roster lock at the position. But Moore’s fully guaranteed $2.5MM contract came about because the team’s draft board did not align with its receiver interests, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia notes.
It is not as though the Bills lack young talent at receiver; they drafted Keon Coleman 33rd overall last year. Coleman, 22, joins three second-contract players — Palmer, Moore, Khalil Shakir — and third-contract veteran Curtis Samuel at the receiver position in Buffalo. The Bills will not lack for experience at the position this season, effectively swapping out Amari Cooper and Mack Hollins for Palmer and Moore. Hollins signed with the Patriots in March; Cooper remains in free agency.
Stefon Diggs was a crucial part of Josh Allen‘s progression from a raw but ultra-talented prospect into perennial MVP candidate. The reigning MVP enjoying the season he did without Diggs certainly bodes well for the Bills’ latest receiver cast, though the team still likely will need Coleman to take a step forward. Moore and Palmer have proven to be complementary cogs to date, though the former will soon see a major QB upgrade after toiling on Jets and Browns rosters during his rookie contract.
The above-referenced quintet will almost definitely break camp as the Bills’ top five receivers, potentially leaving one spot remaining. If the Bills keep six wideouts, Buscaglia adds Laviska Shenault should be considered the favorite to nab the other spot. This would stand to leave Prather as a more likely practice squad stash, provided he clears waivers. Shenault’s return ability stands to bolster his chances of making the 53-man roster.
A former Jaguars second-round pick, Shenault showed some early-career promise at receiver by posting 600-plus-yard seasons in 2020 and ’21. This Bills regime liked the Colorado alum’s skillset entering the 2020 draft, per Buscaglia, and the NFL’s emphasis on increasing kick-return volume works in the veteran returner’s favor.
Shenault has caught just 15 passes over the past two years, but he has logged 22 kick returns in that span. Last season’s dynamic kickoff debut preceded Shenault returning 16 kicks. With the NFL moving the touchback line to the 35 in order to increase return numbers this offseason, the journeyman presents an intriguing option for the Bills. Splitting time with the Seahawks and Chargers last season, Shenault notched a 97-yard return TD under the updated kickoff setup.
The Bills will need to make multiple moves based on the suspensions handed to D-linemen Larry Ogunjobi and Michael Hoecht. Both players received six-game PED bans this offseason, which will lead to both being stashed on the reserve/suspended list. A No. 6 WR spot could be a place Buffalo targets to find roster space for the D-linemen, per Buscaglia. Shenault is a vested veteran and would not need to clear waivers — until the trade deadline, at least — to pass to the practice squad, though other teams dangling an active-roster spot in the event of an October release would be a variable the Bills would have to navigate in this scenario.
Elijah Moore Not Likely To Land On Bills’ Roster Bubble
Brandon Beane gave a notable post-draft interview taking exception to radio criticism of his team’s wide receiver depth chart. The Bills may not have a true No. 1-level wideout post-Stefon Diggs, but they did do some work at the position this offseason.
Buffalo signed Josh Palmer early in free agency, and while the ex-Charger’s contract details revealed a more team-friendly structure (three years, $29MM) than initial reports indicated, he will be expected to play a central role in an attack that will see heavy involvement from Keon Coleman and the recently extended Khalil Shakir. Curtis Samuel remains on the team as well, as the ex-Panther is tied to a guaranteed 2025 base salary ($6.91MM).
After the draft, though, the Bills made a modest investment in a fifth wideout. They signed Elijah Moore to a one-year, $2.5MM deal that came fully guaranteed. That figure would not make Moore bulletproof on cutdown day, but Moore does not appear in danger of being a quick cut. The ex-Jets and Browns contributor is “close to a lock” to land on the Bills’ 53-man roster, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia notes, adding that Samuel will be a lock to make the team.
Moore landing in Buffalo is interesting given the QB hands the former second-round pick has been dealt. Arriving in New York a round after the Jets chose Zach Wilson, Moore ended up in Cleveland as Aaron Rodgers (feat. then-GM Joe Douglas) pieced together a depth chart that included ex-Packer wideouts Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. The Browns did not have a reliable quarterback targeting Moore, as it turned out, with Deshaun Watson becoming a spectacular trade bust. Cleveland slogged through a 3-14 2024 season, and Moore did not generate too much free agency interest.
The Browns still applied a rarely used UFA tender to Moore before the late-spring deadline. This came before Cleveland’s Diontae Johnson signing, but the Browns’ Moore move ended up pertaining only to the 2026 compensatory formula after the slot weapon’s Bills signing. Moore is part of an interesting Buffalo receiver depth chart that now includes three slot types (along with Shakir and Samuel), while Palmer has some slot experience as well. Despite this heavy commitment to inside playmakers at the position, it appears the Bills — who did not re-sign Amari Cooper and saw Mack Hollins sign with the Patriots — are prepared to roster Moore and use him as a tertiary option.
ESPN’s Open Score metric ranked Moore 22nd in separation in 2021 and 37th in 2023. His other two seasons, marred by Wilson (and a clash with the Jets’ staff) and then the Browns starting four QBs, brought much worse rankings here. But the Ole Miss alum still produced 538 yards in 11 rookie-year games and then a career-high 640 in a mostly sluggish (pre-Joe Flacco) Browns attack in 2023. Going from this collection of QBs to Josh Allen could give the Bills an interesting weapon and provide Moore with a chance to boost his value for a 2026 free agency bid, though how the Bills divvy up playing time and targets to their bevy of slots — in an offense that also features receiving tight end Dalton Kincaid — will be an interesting subplot to follow.
Bills To Sign WR Elijah Moore
Elijah Moore‘s Buffalo visit will produce a deal. The Bills are bringing in the former Jets and Browns wide receiver, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports.
The veteran slot receiver can earn up to $5MM on a one-year deal. Moore, who visited the Bills on Monday, will follow former Chargers starter Josh Palmer as Bills WR additions this offseason. While the Browns applied a UFA tender to Moore before Monday’s deadline (regarding the 2026 compensatory formula), he has a deal in place more than two months before that tender would have given Cleveland exclusive negotiating rights.
As Cleveland aims for a potential comp pick for Moore’s Buffalo defection, the Bills have added an intriguing piece to Josh Allen‘s weaponry cadre. Palmer has regularly played in the slot, though he has shown ability on the perimeter as well, while the team still employs ex-Carolina and Washington inside receiver Curtis Samuel. Moore joins a suddenly crowded position group, one headlined by recently extended slot anchor Khalil Shakir and 2024 second-rounder Keon Coleman.
A post-draft Brandon Beane radio interview (via ESPN.com’s Alaina Getzenberg) involved the Bills’ GM taking exception to hosts’ questioning of his receiver strategy. (The team waited until Round 7 to draft a wideout this year.) While no one among Buffalo’s receiving corps has proven to be on Stefon Diggs‘ level, Shakir has overachieved based on his fifth-round pedigree. Shakir has become Allen’s top target, while the Bills will be expecting Coleman to take a leap as an outside receiver this season. Though, Shakir, Palmer, Samuel and now Moore does create a bit of a logjam in the slot.
The Bills did not draft a receiver this year, helping explain this post-draft signing, and they have not re-signed Amari Cooper. While that was mentioned as a possibility months ago, the Palmer and Moore moves effectively point to Cooper being a 2024 rental. Cooper did not move the needle much in Buffalo, which will try younger options as Shakir complementary pieces.
Moore, 25, showed promise as a Jets rookie, despite playing in an offense featuring an erratic rookie-year Zach Wilson, but did not see eye-to-eye with OC Mike LaFleur by his second season. That brought a trade request. As the Jets moved toward their Aaron Rodgers-fronted roster, they traded Moore to the Browns in a pick-swap deal headlined by a second-rounder changing hands. Moore ran into more QB trouble in Cleveland, which saw its Deshaun Watson trade fail spectacularly. Last season later brought Jameis Winston‘s usual high-variance shtick and an overmatched Dorian Thompson-Robinson post-Watson. Moore finished his Browns tenure with 640- and 538-yard seasons. He totaled 538 with a career-high five TDs in 11 games as a rookie in New York.
There is reason to view Moore as having untapped potential, as he will not turn 26 until next year and has never played with an above-average quarterback (excepting perhaps Joe Flacco‘s Cleveland cameo). The Bills will hope so, and they have him at a low rate (compared to Palmer’s three-year, $30MM pact). Samuel’s three-year, $24MM deal a fully guaranteed $6.91MM 2025 salary, making it likely he is back. It will be interesting to see how this receiver situation shakes out this offseason, as Hollins played a regular role for the Bills despite Cooper’s addition.
Browns Place UFA Tender On Elijah Moore
The Bills hosted Elijah Moore on a visit Monday. Soon after, the Browns became the first team to unholster the UFA tender since the Chiefs and Ravens did so in 2022.
Cleveland brought the seldom-used tender out for Moore, ESPN.com’s Field Yates reports. This will include a potential Moore signing into the Browns’ 2026 compensatory formula. The tender is worth $3.43MM, per Yates. This covers 110% of Moore’s 2024 salary.
Baltimore and Kansas City placed UFA tenders on Justin Houston and Melvin Ingram, respectively. Neither player returned to the team, but the tenders gave the Ravens and Chiefs exclusive negotiating rights had those edge rushers not signed by July 22. That will apply to the Browns with Moore, who could either return to Cleveland at that rate or aim for another team’s offer before July 22.
If Moore signs elsewhere before that date, he will factor into the Browns’ comp-pick haul for 2026. Moore’s path back to Cleveland became somewhat foggy later Monday, when the Browns took a flier on mercurial wideout Diontae Johnson. The Browns had originally acquired Moore in a trade with the Jets, in March 2023, as New York was reshaping its WR room ahead of Aaron Rodgers‘ arrival. Moore worked as a reasonably productive auxiliary target for two largely QB-deficient Browns teams, posting 640- and 538-yard seasons as a slot presence.
The Browns have Jerry Jeudy entrenched as their No. 1 wideout, after his belated 2024 breakout that produced a Pro Bowl nod, and Johnson joins 2023 third-round pick Cedric Tillman Jr. as supporting-cast options. The Browns did not draft a receiver over the weekend, potentially keeping a Moore return in play.
While Houston, Ingram and LeGarrette Blount (2017) represent instances of players hit with UFA tenders before leaving as free agents, players have returned to their previous team on a UFA tender before. Markus Golden did so in 2020, rejoining the Giants after that year’s July deadline came and went. Golden signed the tender a week after the deadline, reporting to camp. The Giants eventually traded Golden back to the Cardinals before that year’s trade deadline.
WR Elijah Moore To Visit Bills
The Bills focused heavily on defense during the draft, leaving their receiver room essentially intact. As the post-draft wave of free agency begins, Buffalo is hosting one of the top options still on the market.
Elijah Moore will visit the Bills today, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports. The former Jets second-rounder only spent his first two years in New York, and he was traded to the Browns halfway through his rookie contract. Moore handled snap shares of 73% and 76% in Cleveland, receiving triple-digit targets both seasons during his time there.
In 2024, the Ole Miss product set a new career high with 61 catches. While his yards per reception average (8.8) marked a step back from his three previous campaigns, the Browns’ quarterback play was lacking throughout the season and their offense struggled as a whole. Considering his age (25), Moore could be seen as a more attractive option to suitors than the other, older wideouts still on the market.
Buffalo’s decision to move on from Stefon Diggs last offseason led to questions at the receiver position. Taking a more balanced approach on offense, the team managed to finish top-10 in passing yards in 2024 while ranking second in the NFL in scoring. Duplicating that success will include continued reliance on Khalil Shakir, who comfortably led the team in yards (821). Shakir was one of several Bills to receive a long-term extension this spring.
Keon Coleman flashed potential during his rookie campaign, averaging an impressive 19.2 yards pre catch (albeit on only 29 receptions). The No. 33 pick in last year’s draft will likely take on an increased workload in 2025, a year in which free agent addition Josh Palmer will occupy a starting role. Buffalo’s WR room lost Mack Hollins in free agency while trade acquisition Amari Cooper remains unsigned at this point.
Room therefore exists for an addition late in free agency. Moore could take on at least a rotational role in Buffalo if today’s visit produces an agreement. One would likely need to be a low-cost flier, though, since the Bills entered Monday near the bottom of the league in cap space ($3.14MM) with rookie signings and UDFA additions still to be added to the team’s books.