Chiefs Place Trent McDuffie, Rashee Rice, Jaylen Watson, Tyquan Thornton On IR
The Chiefs will be notably shorthanded for the final two games of the season. A quartet of players have been moved to injured reserve, per a team announcement. 
Cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, along with wide receivers Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton have each been place on IR. Kansas City’s season includes just two more games, beginning with tomorrow’s Christmas contest against the Broncos. As such, each of the four players will not return in 2025.
McDuffie last played in Week 14. Kansas City’s next contest was the Chargers loss which ensured the team would not be able to reach the playoffs. Instead of pushing to return late in the campaign, McDuffie will now turn his attention to 2026. The Pro Bowler remained a full-time starter this season, one in which he posted seven pass deflections and one interception but also some of the worst coverage statistics of his career.
As things stand, McDuffie is set to earn $13.63MM next season on his fifth-year option. If an extension is to be worked out, it could move him to the top of the pecking order in terms of compensation at the CB position. The Chiefs do not have a history of making such commitments at that spot, though, so McDuffie’s future will be something to monitor closely during the offseason.
Likewise, Watson is on track to have his rookie contract expire shorty. He too may have played his final game as a member of the Chiefs. The 27-year-old was identified last month as a player Kansas City is unlikely to re-sign, pointing to a free agent departure during the spring.
Rice’s 2025 season was of course defined by the suspension he served at its outset. The former first-rounder has avoided any major injuries like the ACL he suffered last year, however, and doing so has allowed him to serve as a key figure in the passing game (53-571-5 statline) when on the field. Losing Rice and Thornton will deal a blow to a Chiefs offense which will already be without quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew for the rest of the year.
In a corresponding roster move, Kansas City has activated corner Nazeeh Johnson from injured reserve. This comes one week after Johnson’s practice window was opened. He was one of the two Chiefs designated for return from IR during roster cutdowns, so his activation has already been accounted for. Meanwhile, defensive end Ethan Downs, cornerback Melvin Smith and tight end Tyreke Smith have each been signed from the practice squad to the active roster.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/29/25
NFL teams continue adjusting their practice squads as we close in on the regular season:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: CB Zion Childress
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Micah Robinson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Austin Trammell
- Released: WR Dorian Singer
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DE Ethan Downs, DT Brodric Martin, DT Zacch Pickens, DE Tyreke Smith
- Released: DT Coziah Izzard, WR Hal Presley
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: CB Harrison Hand
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: S Jordan Colbert
New England Patriots
- Signed: T Thayer Munford
- Released: G Jack Conley
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Zaire Barnes, OL McClendon Curtis
- Released: OLB Trace Ford
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Ambry Thomas
- Released: WR Terrace Marshall, CB Eli Ricks
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DT Evan Anderson, T Kilian Zierer
- Released: DE William Bradley-King
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Timmy Horne, T John Ojukwu
- Released: RB Jermar Jefferson, CB Amani Oruwariye
Anderson cleared waivers after being cut and can now be assigned to the 49ers’ practice squad. The reason San Francisco can add two while only dropping one from a full practice squad is because Zierer is from Munich, Germany, qualifying him to be a part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. While practice squads are capped at 16 players, teams can keep a 17th player if they are a part of the IPPP.
Jaguars Work Roster Down To 53
Here are the transactions that set the initial 53-man roster for the Jaguars’ new rookie head coach/general manager duo in 2025:
Released:
- OL Tremayne Anchrum
- WR Trenton Irwin
- TE Quintin Morris
- S Daniel Thomas
- QB John Wolford
Waived:
- TE Shawn Bowman
- WR Chandler Brayboy
- WR Cam Camper
- DT James Carpenter
- OL Jerome Carvin
- DE Myles Cole
- LB Branson Combs
- TE John Copenhaver
- DE Ethan Downs
- OL Javon Foster
- RB Kevin Harris
- QB Seth Henigan
- TE Patrick Herbert
- RB Ja’Quinden Jackson
- DT Jordan Jefferson
- DT Tyler Lacy
- WR Darius Lassiter
- T Ricky Lee
- CB Keni-H Lovely
- CB Jabbar Muhammed
- LB Chad Muma
- CB De’Antre Prince
- DT Keivie Rose
- S Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig
- WR Dorian Singer
- CB Doneiko Slaughter
- CB Aydan White
- OL Sal Wormley
Waived/injured:
- WR Eli Pancol
Placed on IR (designated for return):
- LB Jalen McLeod
Placed on IR:
The placement of Ransaw on injured reserve is definitely a shock. The third-round rookie out of Tulane switched from cornerback to safety in Jacksonville and was in a crowded group of defenders vying for a roster spot. Even though Ransaw was working through a lower-body injury throughout training camp, he was still expected to make the 53-man roster. Instead, his rookie season is over before it got a chance to begin. His placement on IR also didn’t end up helping Thomas or Silmon-Craig, who were both in that group pushing for the active roster.
Sixth-round pick McLeod also found his way to an injured list, but unlike Ransaw, McLeod will be able to return at some point into the season, after missing at least four games. He’s also dealing with a nondescript lower-body injury.
This cut day was a rough one for the 2024 NFL Draft class in Jacksonville. Cole, Foster, Jefferson, and Prince were all taken in last year’s class and have been waived before their sophomore campaigns. Muma and Lacy are other recent draft picks that new general manager James Gladstone didn’t keep around.
Jaguars Bring In 20 UDFAs
The Jaguars are the latest team to announce their UDFA haul. Here is Jacksonville’s 20-man contingent of post-draft signees:
- Chandler Brayboy, WR (Elon)
- Cam Camper, WR (Boise State)
- James Carpenter, DL (Indiana)
- Branson Combs, LB (Wake Forest)
- John Copenhaver, TE (North Carolina)
- Ethan Downs, DL (Oklahoma)
- B.J. Green, DL (Colorado)
- Seth Henigan, QB (Memphis)
- Patrick Herbert, TE (Oregon)
- Ja’Quinden Jackson, RB (Arkansas)
- J.J. Jones, WR (North Carolina)
- Eli Mostaert, DL (North Dakota State)
- Jabbar Muhammad, DB (Oregon)
- Eli Pancol, WR (Duke)
- Keivie Rose, DL (Arkansas)
- Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig, S (Colorado)
- Doneiko Slaughter, DB (Arkansas)
- Danny Striggow, DE (Minnesota)
- Aydan White, DB (NC State)
- Sal Wormley, OL (Penn State)
Striggow is joining the Jaguars for a hefty guarantee. The AFC South team is giving the Big Ten product $254K guaranteed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. That is certainly on the higher end for UDFAs, but Striggow was productive as a pass rusher over the past two seasons for the Golden Gophers. He combined to reach 11 sacks in that span, accumulating 13 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles during his final two seasons in Minneapolis as well.
Wormley will receive a $110K guarantee to sign, Wilson adds. This covers a $100K base salary guarantee and a $10K signing bonus. A Nittany Lion going almost as far back as the Saquon Barkley days, Wormley started three seasons as the team’s right guard. Playing six seasons at Penn State, Wormley made 42 starts. This included 16 made during the Nittany Lions’ 2024 season, which ended in the CFP semifinals. The Jags also drafted a guard, West Virginia’s Wyatt Millum, in Round 3.
Dane Brugler’s The Athletic big board placed Henigan 14th among QBs, while ESPN’s Scouts Inc. slotted him 15th at the position. Henigan started four years for Memphis; although the American Athletic Conference has not been around too long, the 6-foot-3 QB leaves as the league’s all-time passing leader (14,266). This worked out to between 3,300 and 3,900 passing yards each season, and Henigan threw 32 TD passes as a junior in 2023. He finished with a 104-31 TD:INT ratio. He will join a QB depth chart housing Trevor Lawrence, Nick Mullens and John Wolford.
Scouts Inc. ranked Downs as the top prospect in this Jags UDFA group, slotting him 286th in the 2025 class. A two-time second-team All-Big 12 selection, Downs produced 30 TFLs from 2022-24. He added 12 sacks in that time. He comes to Jacksonville having not used his fifth year of college eligibility, which is now atypical for NFL UDFAs in the post-COVID era.