Minor NFL Transactions: 12/24/25
NFL minor moves this Christmas Eve:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: DE L.J. Collier
Atlanta Falcons
- Designated for return from IR: CB Clark Phillips
Cincinnati Bengals
- Designated for return from IR: C Matt Lee
Cleveland Browns
- Signed off Steelers’ practice squad: G Kendrick Green
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed from practice squad: CB Corey Ballentine
- Elevated: LB Justin Barron
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: OL Kingsley Eguakun, TE Giovanni Ricci
Indianapolis Colts
- Designated for return from IR: WR Ashton Dulin
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed from practice squad: S Terrell Edmunds, WR Shedrick Jackson
Los Angeles Rams
- Designated for return from IR: CB Roger McCreary
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed from practice squad: G Henry Byrd
- Elevated: LB Sione Takitaki
- Placed on IR: TE Gavin Bartholomew, C Ryan Kelly
New York Jets
- Claimed off waivers (from Rams): S Chris Smith
Washington Commanders
- Signed from practice squad: QB Sam Hartman
- Elevated: DT Ricky Barber, WR River Cracraft
A month after coming off injured reserve, Kelly is headed right back to the injured list. Kelly was initially placed on IR after two concussions limited him to only three games in the early stages of the season. It is unfortunately a third concussion this season — and the sixth of his career — that will end his 2025 campaign. This will conclude the first half of Kelly’s two-year deal with the Vikings, who will once again turn to backup Michael Jurgens in his absence.
Also in Minnesota, Byrd’s contract to join the 53-man roster will not just be a two-week deal. According to a post from the X account of his agency, JL Sports, Byrd is joining the active roster on a two-year contract.
In Detroit, these will be the third and final standard gameday elevations for Eguakun and Ricci. If the Lions want to see them in the regular season finale, they will need to sign them to the 53-man roster. That’s what Dallas is doing with Ballentine, who exhausted his third elevation last week.
Vikings S Josh Metellus To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery
The Vikings lost outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard to a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 15. Safety Josh Metellus will join Greenard on the shelf for the rest of the year. Metellus will also undergo shoulder surgery, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced (via Kevin Seifert of ESPN). The team plans to place him and Greenard on IR.
Now in his sixth season (all with the Vikings), Metellus worked as a full-time starter for the third straight year. After signing a three-year, $36MM extension last July, he notched 86 tackles, two interceptions, six passes defensed, and a half-sack in 14 games this season.
Metellus currently ranks second among Vikings defenders in snap share (96.5%), trailing only cornerback Byron Murphy. Pro Football Focus hasn’t been enamored of Metellus’ play this year, though, ranking him 78th among 98 qualifying safeties.
Metellus was on the field for 69 of 70 defensive snaps in a win over the Cowboys in Week 15. Fellow safety Harrison Smith played all 70. The 6-8 Vikings will have to plug someone else in alongside Smith over the final three weeks of their season. Jay Ward, Theo Jackson, and Tavierre Thomas are the remaining options on their roster.
Along with the Metellus news, the Vikings announced that they’ve opened tight end Gavin Bartholomew‘s 21-day practice window. Bartholomew hasn’t played this season after landing on the reserve/PUP list at the end of August. The Vikings selected the former Pitt Panther in the sixth round of last spring’s draft.
Vikings Use Both IR-Return Slots, Set Initial 53-Man Roster
Here is how the Vikings slashed their roster down to the required 53-man limit:
Released:
- DL Jonathan Harris
- TE Giovanni Ricci
- CB Ambry Thomas
- TE Nick Vannett
Waived:
- G Henry Byrd
- WR Dontae Fleming
- OL Michael Gonzalez
- S Kahlef Hailassie
- WR Lucky Jackson
- WR Jeshaun Jones
- G Vershon Lee
- LB Dorian Mausi
- OLB Gabriel Murphy
- TE Bryson Nesbit
- S Gervarrius Owens
- DL Taki Taimani
- WR Thayer Thomas
- RB Xazavian Valladay
- CB Zemaiah Vaughn
Placed on IR (return designation):
- OLB Tyler Batty
- FB C.J. Ham
Placed on reserve/PUP list:
Ham and Batty will be eligible for activation to the 53-man roster after Week 4. As a result of these early IR placements, the Vikings’ will use up two of their eight regular-season injury activations. A Duluth, Minn., native, Ham has quietly become the Vikings’ second-longest-tenured player (behind Harrison Smith). This is the Pro Bowl fullback’s ninth season with the Vikes. Batty will take up an IR-return slot as a rookie UDFA.
The Vikings kept three quarterbacks on their active roster, keeping rookie UDFA Max Brosmer behind J.J. McCarthy and newly acquired Carson Wentz. Vannett and Ricci’s exits leave the tight end room at three, while Thomas has now been cut twice times since the 49ers waived him in December 2024 (the Colts waived the former third-round pick soon after adding him late last year).
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/21/25
Training camps are underway around the league, bringing more and more roster adjustments every day. Here are the latest minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on active/PUP list: WR Dan Chisena, TE Tommy Tremble
- Placed on active/NFI list: P Sam Martin
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on active/PUP list: CB Josh Butler, CB Trevon Diggs, LB DeMarvion Overshown
- Placed on active/NFI list: CB Shavon Revel
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Will Sheppard
- Released: K Alex Hale
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Hal Presley
- Placed on active/PUP list: CB Kristian Fulton, OT Jawaan Taylor, TE Tre Watson
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: QB Dresser Winn
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on active/PUP: TE Gavin Bartholomew, LB Chaz Chambliss
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Kam Alexander, DT Justin Rogers
- Waived/NFI: CB Zy Alexander
Martin, a 12-year veteran who signed with the Panthers this offseason, is dealing with a minor hamstring injury, per Joe Person of The Athletic.
The Cowboys’ trio of cornerbacks were all expected to be placed on their respective lists given where they are in the rehab process, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. The same is true of Overshown, who recently shared a positive update on social media (via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk).
An eye injury will sideline Hale for several weeks, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, forcing the Packers to release him. Hale was not expected to push Brandon McManus for the starting job in Green Bay, but the team will need another kicker for training camp.
The Seahawks swapped undrafted cornerbacks, adding Alexander out of Oregon and waiving Alexander with a non-football injury designation. Rogers, meanwhile, was signed after a successful tryout.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/9/25
We saw a busy day of 2025 NFL Draft pick signings today. Here are the mid- to late-round picks who inked their four-year rookie deals:
Arizona Cardinals
- OLB Jordan Burch (third round, Oregon)
- CB Denzel Burke (fifth round, Ohio State)
- G Hayden Conner (sixth round, Texas)
- S Kitan Crawford (seventh round, Nevada)
Buffalo Bills
- DE Landon Jackson (third round, Arkansas)
- CB Jordan Hancock (fifth round, Ohio State)
- TE Jackson Hawes (fifth round, Georgia Tech)
- CB Dorian Strong (sixth round, Virginia Tech)
- T Chase Lundt (sixth round, Connecticut)
- WR Kaden Prather (seventh round, Maryland)
Cincinnati Bengals
- G Dylan Fairchild (third round, Georgia)
- LB Barrett Carter (fourth round, Clemson)
- T Jalen Rivers (fifth round, Miami)
- RB Tahj Brooks (sixth round, Texas Tech)
Detroit Lions
- G Miles Frazier (fifth round, LSU)
- DE Ahmed Hassanein (sixth round, Boise State)
- S Dan Jackson (seventh round, Georgia)
- WR Dominic Lovett (seventh round, Georgia)
Houston Texans
- S Jaylen Reed (sixth round, Penn State)
- QB Graham Mertz (sixth round, Florida)
- DT Kyonte Hamilton (seventh round, Rutgers)
- TE Luke Lachey (seventh round, Iowa)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- CB Caleb Ransaw (third round, Tulane)
- G Wyatt Milum (third round (West Virginia)
- LB Jalen McLeod (sixth round, Auburn)
- S Rayuan Lane III (sixth round, Navy)
- C Jonah Monheim (seventh round, USC)
- RB LeQuint Allen (seventh round, Syracuse)
Las Vegas Raiders
- WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. (fourth round, Tennessee)
Los Angeles Chargers
- DT Jamaree Caldwell (third round, Oregon)
- OLB Kyle Kennard (fourth round, South Carolina)
- WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (fifth round, Auburn)
- TE Oronde Gadsden II (fifth round, Syracuse)
- G Branson Taylor (sixth round, Pittsburgh)
- S RJ Mickens (sixth round, Clemson)
- S Trikweze Bridges (seventh round, Florida)
Minnesota Vikings
- WR Tai Felton (third round, Maryland)
- DE Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (fifth round, Georgia)
- LB Kobe King (sixth round, Penn State)
- TE Gavin Bartholomew (sixth round, Pittsburgh)
New England Patriots
- WR Kyle Williams (third round, Washington State)
- C Jared Wilson (third round, Georgia)
- DT Joshua Farmer (fourth round, Florida State)
- OLB Bradyn Swinson (fifth round, LSU)
- K Andy Borregales (sixth round, Miami)
- T Marcus Bryant (seventh round, Missouri)
- LS Julian Ashby (seventh round, Vanderbilt)
- CB Kobee Minor (seventh round, Memphis)
New York Giants
- G Marcus Mbow (fifth round, Purdue)
- TE Thomas Fidone II (seventh round, Nebraska)
New York Jets
- CB Korie Black (seventh round, Oklahoma State)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- RB Kaleb Johnson (third round, Iowa)
- OLB Jack Sawyer (fourth round, Ohio State)
- DT Yahya Black (fifth round, Iowa)
- QB Will Howard (sixth round, Ohio State)
- LB Carson Bruener (seventh round, Washington)
- CB Donte Kent (seventh round, Central Michigan)
San Francisco 49ers
- LB Nick Martin (third round, Oklahoma State)
- CB Upton Stout (third round, Western Kentucky)
- WR Jordan Watkins (fourth round, Ole Miss)
- RB Jordan James (fifth round, Oregon)
- S Marques Sigle (fifth round, Kansas State)
- G Connor Colby (seventh round, Iowa)
- WR Junior Bergen (seventh round, Montana)
Tennessee Titans
- S Kevin Winston Jr. (third round, Penn State)
- WR Elic Ayomanor (fourth round, Stanford)
- G Jackson Slater (fifth round, Sacramento State)
- CB Marcus Harris (sixth round, California)
- RB Kalel Mullings (sixth round, Michigan)
Washington Commanders
- WR Jaylin Lane (fourth round, Virginia Tech)
- LB Kain Medrano (sixth round, UCLA)
- RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt (seventh round, Arizona)
2025 NFL Draft Visits: Schwesinger, Cowboys, Nolen, Ezeiruaku, Burden, Turner, Bond, Steelers, Emmanwori
This isn’t exactly a visit in the sense of top-30 visits, like most of the rest of bullets that follow this will be, but UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger held a private pro day earlier this week in Los Angeles and had 30 teams in attendance, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
While, obviously, not a comprehensive list, Schefter specifically mentions the Cowboys, Giants, Saints, Chargers, and Broncos, and notes that the linebackers coaches from Dallas, New York, and New Orleans all met privately with Schwesinger.
Schwesinger is not currently the top-ranked linebacker prospect in most analysts’ eyes, but he often slides in as the second-best off-ball linebacker in the class behind Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell — third if you count Georgia defender Jalon Walker, who has the ability to play every linebacker spot at the next level. Some thought Schwesinger may sneak into the back end of the first round at the end of the month, but more likely is that he hears his name on Day 2. Per Tony Pauline of sportskeeda, it would be surprising to see him fall past the first half of the second round.
Here are some more prospect-NFL team connections we’ve seen recent reports on:
- The Cowboys have certainly been very busy in the runup to the 2025 NFL Draft. On Friday, the team held their invite-only “Dallas Day,” hosting draft prospects without the visits counting towards their top-30 visits. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton met with the team at “Dallas Day.” The well-balanced rusher continues to skyrocket up draft boards, is likely to join Ashton Jeanty in the first round, and has several other visits lined up.
- Jeanty was also in attendance on Friday, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. We had relayed that Jeanty would be taking a top-30 visit with the Cowboys, but it’s unclear whether this is what was meant in that original report. Also in attendance for “Dallas Day” were Texas A&M defensive tackle Shemar Turner, Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon, TCU wide receivers Savion Williams and Jack Bech, Texas quarterback and offensive lineman Quinn Ewers and Cameron Williams, and Miami tight end and running back Elijah Arroyo and Damien Martinez.
- Also in attendance at “Dallas Day” was Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Nolen will follow up his Dallas visit with a visit with the Panthers on Monday and a visit with the Bengals some other time this week.
- Joining Nolen in Carolina on Monday will be Boston College pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku, per Joe Person of The Athletic. The ACC Defensive Player of the Year has been a hot topic with multiple scouts of late, per ESPN’s Jordan Reid. He’s currently viewed as an early-Day 2 prospect, and his stock continues to rise.
- Speaking of another “Dallas Day” athlete, Wilson of KPRC 2 provided an updated list of teams that Turner, from Texas A&M, is set to visit with. We already noted his recent visit in New Orleans, but Wilson tells us that Turner has also visited the Texans and plans to visit the Ravens, Rams, Eagles, Dolphins, Colts, Buccaneers, and Cardinals.
- According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS, the Broncos hosted Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden for a top-30 visit last week. The talented wideout fell off in 2024 after an incredible sophomore campaign with the Tigers, but his high ceiling makes him a borderline first-round prospect. Denver would love to bring in another talented weapon for young quarterback Bo Nix.
- We already reported recent visits for Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond in Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, and Los Angeles, but we now have a couple sources adding some new locations for the Longhorn. Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that Bond had dinner with the Bills before a private workout Friday and a top-30 visit as well as visits with the Browns and Packers. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds that Bond has visits scheduled with the Chiefs and Titans, as well.
- Brooke Pryor of ESPN tells us that the Steelers hosted a full house on Thursday. Prospects on hand last week included Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden, Florida State cornerback Azareye’h Thomas, Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, and Pittsburgh tight end Gavin Bartholomew.
- Lastly, Pryor adds that Pittsburgh was one of the recent teams to host South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori. The pre-draft standout had reportedly lined up visits with Atlanta, Carolina, Seattle, Cincinnati, and Miami already. The Steelers’ interest in the Gamecock is no surprise as he’s trending towards being a Day 1 selection at this point.
2025 NFL Draft Rumors: Saints, Packers, Falcons, Revel
The Saints continue to stay busy having visits with 2025 NFL Draft prospects, according to multiple reports from Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.
Last night, the team hosted several Georgia players for dinner, including a top defensive end prospect in Mykel Williams as well as wide receiver Arian Smith. They also reportedly had dinner this week with Pittsburgh tight end Gavin Bartholomew, a likely Day 3 prospect whose name has not been making the rounds this early in the process. Lastly, the team was in Knoxville today reportedly meeting with some Tennessee players, including running back Dylan Sampson and defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott.
Underhill adds that the team has been doing a ton of work during the pre-draft process on running backs. Even though lead back Alvin Kamara had a career-high 950 rushing yards in 2024, combined with 543 receiving yards, the sheer depth of this year’s class of running back prospects nearly ensures that quality backs will be available into the fourth or fifth round. Dane Brugler of The Athletic has eight running backs listed in his top 100 prospects list, so it makes sense that New Orleans is doing its homework on the position.
Here are a few other rumors concerning possibilities in the 2025 NFL Draft:
- The Packers currently have eight picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, but if general manager Brian Gutekunst has anything to say about it, they could be angling for more. According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, when asked about not having many picks this year, Gutekunst added the addendum “yet” to the end of the statement, indicating that he would have some interest in acquiring more picks via trade. Green Bay currently sits at No. 23 overall in the first round. It’s been posited that many teams from pick No. 20 on are looking to trade back out of the first round due to a lack of elite, top-end talent in this year’s class, as opposed to the tremendous depth the class seems to provide. Unfortunately, due to that same issue, there are going to be few, if any, takers willing to give up precious draft capital to move up into the first round.
- One trend we seem to be seeing shows the Falcons as likely candidates to go defense in the first round of the draft. Josh Kendall of The Athletic selected safety Nick Emmanwori in the site’s beat writer mock draft, and the other players he says he considered with the pick, safety Malaki Starks, linebackers Jalon Walker and Jihaad Campbell, cornerback Will Johnson, and edges Mike Green and Shemar Stewart, all reside on the defensive side of the ball. Kendall bases this belief that the team will go defense off of new defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich wanting to build a new, uniquely hybrid defense.
- Lastly, Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network reported today that the Cowboys will be hosting East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel for a top-30 visit next week. We know that Revel is attempting to make a comeback from a torn ACL that ended his final collegiate season after only three games and that he is projected to be back in time for training camp. What makes this an interesting visit is that, according to Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS, Revel’s ACL repair surgery was performed by Cowboys team doctor Dan Cooper, likely giving the franchise a uniquely exclusive insight on his prognosis and recovery.