Gary Brightwell - Pro Football Rumors

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC North

August 27th, 2025 at 5:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

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 Bengals, Browns, Ravens and Steelers moves are noted below.

Baltimore Ravens

Signed to practice squad:

T Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan, DB Thomas Graham, OLB Malik Hamm, QB Tyler Huntley, DB Keondre Jackson, RB D’Ernest Johnson, WR Keith Kirkwood, ILB Chandler Martin, WR Anthony Miller, TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden, DT Basil Okoye, G Jared Penning, DB Marquise Robinson, DE Kaimon Rucker, C Nick Samac, RB Lucas Scott, DL Brent Urban

Cincinnati Bengals

Signed to practice squad:

RB Gary Brightwell, T Devin Cochran, T Andrew Coker, CB Jalen Davis, LB Joe Giles-Harris, G Jaxson Kirkland, CB Bralyn Lux, C Seth McLaughlin, RB Kendall Milton, WR Jordan Moore, LB Maema Njongmeta, DE Isaiah Thomas, WR Isaiah Williams, S Russ Yeast

Reverted to IR:

T Caleb Etienne, TE Tanner McLachlan, G Cordell Volson

Cleveland Browns

Claimed:

CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse (from Jets), RB Raheim Sanders (from Chargers)

Waived:

TE Brenden Bates, CB Dom Jones

Signed to practice squad:

TE Sal Cannella, WR Kaden Davis, S Christopher Edmonds, DT Ralph Holley, CB LaMareon James, DT Sam Kamara, RB Ahmani Marshall, DE Julian Okwara, RB Trayveon Williams, QB Bailey Zappe

Pittsburgh Steelers

Signed to practice squad:

DL Kyler Baugh, CB Beanie Bishop, DB Sebastian Castro, OL Dylan Cook, TE JJ Galbreath, WR Max Hurleman, DB D’Shawn Jamison, OL Steven Jones, DL DeMarvin Leal, RB Lew Nichols, CB James Pierre, DB Daryl Porter, RB Trey Sermon, LB Julius Welschof, WR Ke’Shawn Williams, WR Robert Woods

Bengals Trim Roster To 53 Players

August 26th, 2025 at 6:31pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Bengals have finalized their 53-man roster with the following 27 roster moves, per a team announcement:

Placed on IR (designated for return)

S Daijahn Anthony
DE Cedric Johnson

Placed on reserve/PUP:

TE Erick All

Released:

Waived:

LS Cal Domitis
OT Devin Cochran
OT Andre Coker
DE Raymond Johnson
S Jaylen Key
G Jaxson Kirkland
CB Bralyn Lux
WR Jamoi Mayes
C Seth McLaughlin
RB Kendall Milton
WR Jordan Moore
LB Maema Njongmeta
WR Kendric Pryor
QB Desmond Ridder
DE Isaiah Thomas
WR Isaiah Williams

Waived/injured:

OT Caleb Etienne
TE Tanner McLachlan
G Cordell Volson

Anthony (hamstring) and Johnson (calf) are a pair of 2024 Day 3 picks who will be sidelined for at least four games after picking up injuries in training camp. Anthony is not expected to miss much time, per Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Complications from a college knee surgery are expected to sidelined All for the entire season, but keeping him on the PUP list keeps the Bengals’ options open. Even getting All back on the practice field late in the season could go a long way towards a 2026 comeback.

Adomitis was the Bengals’ long snapper for the last three years, but undrafted rookie Will Wagner beat him out for the starting job in training camp, according to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

If Ridder ever had a legitimate chance at beating out Jake Browning for Cincinnati’s backup quarterback job, he was unable to capitalize on it. With 18 starts under his belt in the last three years – albeit with uninspiring production – Ridder could draw interest on waivers for a team looking to upgrade their quarterback depth.

Volson is expected to be out for the year after undergoing shoulder surgery. He will revert to the Bengals’ season-ending injured reserve if he is not claimed on waivers. The Bengals may pursue an injury settlement to save cap space with almost $2.5MM of non-guaranteed money on Volson’s contract, per OverTheCap.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/7/25

January 7th, 2025 at 8:39pm CST by Ben Levine

Many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing the organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players through the offseason. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

DE Anthony Goodlow, OL Sincere Haynesworth, RB Zonovan Knight, NT P.J. Mustipher

Atlanta Falcons

WR Makai Polk

Buffalo Bills

P Jake Camarda

Chicago Bears

TE Jordan Murray

Cincinnati Bengals

CB Micah Abraham, RB Gary Brightwell, CB Nate Brooks, WR Cole Burgess, OT Andrew Coker, DE Raymond Johnson III, S PJ Jules, S Jaylen Key, G Tashawn Manning, WR Kendric Pryor, LB Craig Young

Indianapolis Colts

LB Jacob Phillips

Las Vegas Raiders

DL Tyler Manoa

Miami Dolphins

WR Tarik Black, LB William Bradley-King, S Jordan Colbert, DT Neil Farrell, OT Ryan Hayes, OL Chasen Hines, LB Dequan Jackson, CB Isaiah Johnson, CB Jason Maitre, OT Bayron Matos, LB Derrick McLendon, TE Hayden Rucci

San Francisco 49ers

OL Isaac Alarcon, WR Russell Gage, WR Isaiah Hodgins, OT Jalen McKenzie

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/11/24

November 11th, 2024 at 8:06pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are today’s NFL practice squad updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Released: S Russ Yeast

Atlanta Falcons

Signed: CB Lamar Jackson

Cincinnati Bengals

Signed: RB Gary Brightwell

Houston Texans

Signed: CB D’Angelo Ross

San Francisco 49ers

Signed: CB Nick McCloud
Released: S Adrian Amos

Seattle Seahawks

Signed: TE N’Keal Harry

The Bengals signed Brightwell after hosting several veterans for workouts on Monday, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz. Leonard Fournette and Xavien Howard were among the players who auditioned in Cincinnati, but neither player left with a deal.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/15/24

October 15th, 2024 at 6:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s NFL practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Signed: OLB Ronnie Perkins

Atlanta Falcons

Signed: S Dane Cruikshank, T Coy Cronk

Baltimore Ravens

Released: CB Damarion Williams

Carolina Panthers

Signed: WR Dan Chisena, LB Shaquille Quarterman
Released: WR Deon Cain

Chicago Bears

Signed: DE Jamree Kromah, LS Jake McQuaide
Released: DT Travis Bell

Cleveland Browns

Signed: WR James Proche, C Cameron Tom
Released: RB Gary Brightwell, DT Siaki Ika

Dallas Cowboys

Released: DT Phil Hoskins

Green Bay Packers

Signed: T Spencer Rolland

Minnesota Vikings

Signed: DE Jalen Redmond

New Orleans Saints

Signed: WR Dante Pettis
Released: CB Shemar Jean-Charles

New York Giants

Signed: DT Armon Watts
Released: CB Duke Shelley

Philadelphia Eagles

Signed: CB Parry Nickerson

San Francisco 49ers

Signed: S Adrian Amos
Released: WR Terrace Marshall

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed: CB Dallis Flowers

Tennessee Titans

Signed: RB Joshua Kelley

Washington Commanders

Signed: DT Carl Davis

Amos is far-removed from his days as a full-time starter in the NFC North. With Talanoa Hufanga on injured reserve, though, and only three safeties on the active roster, Amos could have an opportunity to make an impact in the Bay Area.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/3/24

October 3rd, 2024 at 6:50pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Signed: DL Ben Stille

Cleveland Browns

Signed: RB Gary Brightwell

Seattle Seahawks

Signed: Devin Richardson

Brightwell returns to Cleveland via the practice squad after getting waived earlier this week. The team is perhaps attempting to clear space for running back Nick Chubb to eventually make his way off the IR. Chubb was designated to return from the reserve/physically unable to perform list today.

Richardson was signed to the practice squad spot that was vacated when outside linebacker Tyus Bowser was signed to the Dolphins active roster today off of Seattle’s practice squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/1/24

October 1st, 2024 at 6:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Tuesday’s minor NFL transactions:

Buffalo Bills

Signed (off Falcons’ practice squad): DT Zion Logue

Cincinnati Bengals

Waived: P Brad Robbins

Cleveland Browns

Waived: RB Gary Brightwell

Los Angeles Rams

Waived: CB Cam Lampkin

New England Patriots

Released (with injury settlement): DT Armon Watts

San Francisco 49ers

Signed (off Commanders’ practice squad): LB Jalen Graham

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed to active roster: LB Antonio Grier
Placed on IR: LB SirVocea Dennis

Robbins’ release today marks the end of what was supposed to be the continuation of the battle for the punter position in Cincinnati, setting the table for Ryan Rehkow to continue his job as the primary punter for the Bengals. Robbins was activated from injured reserve yesterday, but his stint on the active roster ends after only one day. It’s an interesting move after the team dedicated one of their eight IR activations for the season on Robbins before the season began.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/21/24

September 21st, 2024 at 5:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Elevated: T Jackson Barton, T Charlie Heck

Baltimore Ravens

Elevated: RB Chris Collier, CB Ka’dar Hollman

Carolina Panthers

Elevated: DE DeShawn Williams

Chicago Bears

Elevated: DE Byron Cowart, WR Collin Johnson
Placed on IR: RB Travis Homer

Cleveland Browns

Signed to active roster: RB Gary Brightwell, TE Blake Whiteheart
Elevated: CB Tony Brown, TE Geoff Swaim

Dallas Cowboys

Elevated: DE Carl Lawson, LB Nick Vigil

Detroit Lions

Elevated: WR Tim Patrick, WR Allen Robinson

Green Bay Packers

Elevated: QB Sean Clifford, CB Robert Rochell

Houston Texans

Elevated: RB J.J. Taylor, LB Zeke Turner

Las Vegas Raiders

Elevated: CB Sam Webb

Los Angeles Chargers

Elevated: LB Shaquille Quarterman

Los Angeles Rams

Elevated: TE Nikola Kalinic, WR Xavier Smith

Miami Dolphins

Signed to active roster: QB Tim Boyle
Elevated: WR Dee Eskridge, WR Erik Ezukanma
Placed on IR: WR Grant DuBose

Minnesota Vikings

Elevated: OLB Bo Richter, TE Robert Tonyan

New Orleans Saints

Elevated: LB Isaiah Stalbird

New York Giants

Elevated: CB Art Green, LB Ty Summers

Philadelphia Eagles

Elevated: WR Parris Campbell, TE Jack Stoll

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Elevated: DL Mike Greene, WR Sterling Shepard

Tennessee Titans

Elevated: LB Luke Gifford, RB Jabari Small

Players like Hollman, Vigil, Webb, and Quarterman will now be getting called up for the third time this season. The NFL rules limit a practice squad player to three standard gameday elevations per contract. If their teams want to get them into more games in the future, the normal route is for them to be signed to the active roster after this weekend then released/waived and signed to new practice squad deals, starting their three-game count over.

Shy Tuttle‘s foot injury will keep him off the field for Week 3, as the Panthers announced that the defensive tackle has been downgraded from doubtful to out. The Panthers called up Williams to temporarily take the open roster spot. The defensive end started 10 of his 16 appearances for the Panthers last season, and he landed back on Carolina’s practice squad last month after spending the preseason with the Bills.

The Browns announced a handful of moves ahead of their game with the Giants tomorrow. Notably, the team didn’t promote any offensive tackles, which provided some optimism surrounding the availability of their injured tackles. While Jedrick Wills Jr. is expected to play (per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal), Jack Conklin will not (per Tony Grossi of 850 ESPN Cleveland). Conklin hasn’t played since Week 1 of the 2023 season while recovering from a torn ACL and MCL. He practiced this week and was initially listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game, but it sounds like a new hamstring injury is the culprit for his Week 3 absence.

With both Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce set to miss Sunday’s trip to Minnesota, the Texans are bringing up Taylor off the practice squad. Taylor will back up Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale against the Vikings this weekend.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/29/24

August 29th, 2024 at 8:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

PFR’s practice squad rundown, signaling we are indeed close to games that count, begins Thursday. Here is how teams began to handle their 16-man P-squads.

Arizona Cardinals

Signed: TE Jordan Murray, DL PJ Mustipher, OL Luke Tenuta

Atlanta Falcons

Signed: LB Monty Rice, OL Elijah Wilkinson

Carolina Panthers

Signed: OL Ja’Tyre Carter, WR Jalen Coker, TE Feleipe Franks, LB Thomas Incoom, DE Tarron Jackson, DT Jayden Peevy, S Demani Richardson

Chicago Bears

Signed: OL Chris Glaser, DL Sam Roberts
Released: DB Quindell Johnson, DL Dashaun Mallory

Cincinnati Bengals

Signed: G Tashawn Manning, RB Kendall Milton, DT Justin Rogers, DE Isaiah Thomas

Cleveland Browns

Signed: RB Gary Brightwell, WR Tulu Griffin, TE Cameron Latu, TE Blake Whiteheart
Released: LS Rex Sunahara

Dallas Cowboys

Signed: DT Phil Hoskins, CB Amani Oruwariye

Detroit Lions

Released: S C.J. Moore

Houston Texans

Signed: T Braeden Daniels, TE Cole Fotheringham, WR Xavier Johnson, S Mark Perry, QB Kedon Slovis

Indianapolis Colts

Signed: DT McTelvin Agim, DE Titus Leo, TE Sean McKeon, G Atonio Mafi, K Spencer Shrader

Jacksonville Jaguars

Signed: OL Blake Hance, S Matthew Jackson, WR Louis Rees-Zammit

Las Vegas Raiders

Signed: TE Justin Shorter

Los Angeles Chargers

Signed: S Tony Jefferson, C Sam Mustipher, TE Eric Tomlinson
Released: CB Robert Kennedy

Los Angeles Rams

Released: RB Zach Evans

Miami Dolphins

Signed: QB Tim Boyle

Minnesota Vikings

Signed: T Ricky Lee, RB Zavier Scott
Released: WR Jeshaun Jones, RB DeWayne McBride

New England Patriots

Signed: DE Brevin Allen, G Jerome Carvin, DT Trysten Hill, C Bryan Hudson, G Michael Jordan, WR Jalen Reagor

New Orleans Saints

Signed: T Austin Deculus, TE Treyton Welch
Released: TE Mason Fairchild

New York Giants

Signed: CB Art Green, DT Elijah Garcia, CB Duke Shelley

Philadelphia Eagles

Signed: OL Brett Toth

Pittsburgh Steelers

Signed: CB Anthony Averett, FB Jack Colletto, CB Zyon Gilbert, CB Thomas Graham Jr., LB Marcus Haynes, DL Jacob Slade, RB Jonathan Ward, TE Rodney Williams

San Francisco 49ers

Signed: WR Terrace Marshall, RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn

Seattle Seahawks

Signed: CB Josh Jobe, LB Tyreke Smith
Released: T Raiqwon O’Neal

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed: C Avery Jones, T Lorenz Metz, WR Ryan Miller, WR Cody Thompson

Tennessee Titans

Signed: DL James Lynch

Washington Commanders

Signed: LB Jalen Graham, CB Bobby Price

Slovis went to camp with the Colts, joining the team as a UDFA this year. Houston placed Case Keenum on IR and released Tim Boyle, who is now the Dolphins’ P-squad QB. Slovis, who played at USC, Pittsburgh and BYU in college, is now the Texans’ de facto third-stringer.

Shelley has 11 career starts — with the Bears and Vikings — on his resume. He joined the Raiders last year but ended up with the Rams, playing in 11 games as a backup. The Giants have spent time searching for a cornerback answer, having not been too satisfied with their Cor’Dale Flott–Nick McCloud CB2 competition. New York did not make any waiver claims at the position Wednesday.

Reagor, who played for the Patriots last season, is back after being released earlier this week. The former Minnesota first-rounder played in 11 New England games last season, returning a kick for a touchdown. Latu joins the Browns after being a 49ers cut. The 2023 third-round pick missed all of last season with an ACL tear. Jefferson is back with the Bolts hours after being released.

Jaguars Finalize 53-Man Roster

August 27th, 2024 at 1:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jaguars have unveiled their list of cuts and other roster moves which will bring the team to the 53-man limit ahead of today’s deadline. Here is the full breakdown:

Released:

S Adrian Amos
QB C.J. Beathard (via injury settlement)
TE Josiah Deguara
S Terrell Edmunds
CB Tre Flowers
DE Joe Gaziano
OL Blake Hance
LB Tanner Muse
CB Amani Oruwariye
OL Tyler Shatley

Waived:

TE Shawn Bowman
CB Christian Braswell
RB Gary Brightwell
WR Joshua Cephus
DE D.J. Coleman
WR Elijah Cooks
CB Erick Hallett II
RB Jalen Jackson
OL Steven Jones
TE Patrick Murtagh (injury designation)
QB E.J. Perry
S Josh Proctor
WR Austin Trammell
OL Darryl Williams

Placed on IR:

RB Keilan Robinson
S Andrew Wingard

Beathard’s inclusion in Jacksonville’s cuts comes after he suffered a groin injury in the team’s second preseason contest. He was unable to suit up for the Jaguars’ exhibition finale, and today’s move clears the way for Mac Jones to take on backup duties. The former Patriots first-rounder was dealt to his hometown team this offseason, but a competition had been ongoing between he and Beathard. Now, Jones will move forward as QB2 behind Trevor Lawrence.

Beathard will be free to sign with a new team, although he is of course unlikely to find a suitor until he returns to full health. Other veterans like Amos and Edmunds joined Jacksonville this offseason, but they too will now have to search for a new opportunity. Several of the players waived will likely find themselves on the practice squad shortly, but Perry not doing so could leave the Jags in need of QB depth especially if Beathard were to land with a new team.

In 2024, teams are allowed to designate two players to return from injured reserve without naming them to the initial 53-man roster. That is the case for both Robinson and Wingard. The former was selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft and will provide backfield depth when healthy, while the latter is recovering from a knee injury. Both Robinson and Wingard will miss at least the first four weeks of the campaign, and their activations will count toward Jacksonville’s limit of eight for the season.