Jacob Saylors

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/25

With our first slate of Sunday games tomorrow, we’ll see our first slew of standard gameday practice squad elevations. Here are today’s minor transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Each NFL team is granted up to two standard gameday practice squad elevations each game, allowing them to call up two members of their practice squad who are able to play in that weekend’s game. After the game is played, the elevated players revert back to the practice squad with no transaction required. This differs from the situation with somebody like Crumedy in Carolina. With Mathis’ placement on injured reserve opening a spot on the 53-man roster, Crumedy has been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster, where he will remain until he is cut or his contract expires.

Practice squad players can be called up a maximum of three times under a single practice squad contract. If a team wants to call up a player who’s been called up three times already, the team will usually sign the player to their active roster for a game, cut them after, and then sign them to a new practice squad contract. Under the new contract, the player would be eligible to be elevated for three more games.

As the Dolphins await Jason Sanders‘ return from IR, Patterson was named the winner of a kicking audition with three other veteran kickers. Miami will be able to elevate him three times but will have to promote him to the active roster for any games between that and Sanders’ activation. Similarly, Prater will likely be on the same plan in Buffalo.

Haener’s stint on the Saints’ active roster was short-lived as the team decides to move forward with only two quarterbacks. Spencer Rattler will handle starting duties to begin the campaign with second-round rookie Tyler Shough serving as his backup.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC North

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 BearsLionsPackers and Vikings moves are noted below.

Chicago Bears

Claimed:

Released:

Signed to practice squad:

Detroit Lions

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Green Bay Packers

Signed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Minnesota Vikings

Signed to practice squad:

Lions Shift Alim McNeill, Malcolm Rodriguez To Reserve/PUP List; Team Sets Initial Roster

In stashing two injured starters on the reserve/PUP list, the Lions also made a host of cuts to move down to 53. Here are the moves the two-time reigning NFC North champions made at today’s cutdown deadline:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Waived (injury settlement):

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Placed on reserve/NFI list:

McNeill is believed to be ahead of schedule, but the standout interior D-lineman will still be stashed on the PUP list — requiring a four-game absence. The Lions lost McNeill to an ACL tear — in their bloodbath of a season on defense — to a Week 15 ACL tear. This came weeks after the Lions and the four-year veteran hammered out an extension. McNeill, who has been pegged as most likely to return around midseason, is signed through 2028.

Rodriguez went down with an ACL tear during the Lions’ Thanksgiving win over the Bears. It was reported previously the young linebacker would be expected to miss regular-season time, and that will come to pass.

The Lions became the extraordinarily rare team to drop down to 50 players on roster-cutdown day, as opposed to the required 53. That will keep options open. The team can bring vested veterans back without the waiver process being involved, and teams occasionally wait until after the vested-veteran guarantee deadline passes in early September to re-sign vested performers to avoid fully guaranteeing salaries.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/25

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: WR Ja’seem Reed
  • Released from active/PUP (injury settlement): WR Dan Chisena

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: C Bucky Williams
  • Waived: C Brady Latham

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: RB Jacob Saylors
  • Waived/injured: TE Luke Deal

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

There was a scary moment at 49ers practice earlier this week, as 49ers defensive lineman Tarron Jackson was carted off the field on a stretcher after suffering a neck injury. Fortunately, the player has since been released from the hospital (per Vic Tafur of The Athletic), but his placement on IR means he won’t suit up during the upcoming campaign. A former Eagles draft pick, Jackson got into three games with the Panthers in 2024 before joining the 49ers practice squad late in the season.

Browns Cut K Lucas Havrisik, 15 Others

The Browns began their journey toward a 53-man roster, cutting more than a dozen players Monday. Here is how Cleveland started its pre-cut-day odyssey:

Released:

  • LS Rex Sunahara

Waived:

Waived/injured:

  • S Chase Williams

The Browns only signed Havrisik late last week, and he kicked in their preseason finale. The team gave Dustin Hopkins an extension this offseason and moved on from Cade York — this time via trade (to the Commanders) — for a second straight summer. This left no doubt about Cleveland’s kicker situation. Havrisik kicked in nine games for the Rams last year.

Saylors and Robbins’ exits leave an injury-depleted running back room. The Browns are leaving Nick Chubb on their PUP list, shifting the Pro Bowler to the reserve/PUP; he will miss at least four games. Nyheim Hines is coming off Cleveland’s active/NFI list, making him eligible for Week 1. But he is not quite ready to practice despite his ACL tear — sustained in a jet-ski accident — occurring more than a year ago. Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong and D’Onta Foreman remain on the Browns’ active roster. Foreman also suffered a rib injury in the team’s preseason finale.

Some of these players could be practice squad candidates for the team, but Cleveland still has several players left to cut before reaching 53. Generally, the final cuts are more likely to end up on P-squads compared to the first wave.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/22/24

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

  • Activated from active/PUP list: OL Yosh Nijman
  • Signed: LB Aaron Beasley

Chicago Bears

  • Signed: WR Peter LeBlanc, RB Jacob Saylors
  • Waived/injured: TE Giovanni Ricci

Cleveland Browns

  • Reverted to IR: LB Brandon Bouyer-Randle

Dallas Cowboys

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: DE Shaka Toney

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: DL Keonte Schad

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Reverted to IR: WR Jaaron Hayek

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: TE Isaac Rex
  • Waived: DL Micheal Mason

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: RB Mohamed Ibrahim, OL Chuck Filiaga
  • Reverted to IR: OL Jeremy Flax, S Najee Thompson

New Orleans Saints

  • Reverted to IR: C Sincere Haynesworth

Washington Commanders

Nijman underwent surgery to address a leg injury, and despite Dave Canales indicating the free agency pickup was a ways away from returning, he is back at practice barely a week later. It remains to be seen if Nijman will be able to suit up in Week 1, but he has some time here. The Panthers signed the ex-Packer blocker to be their swing tackle.

Grant will be able to suit up later this season, depending on the terms of the injury settlement. This transaction moves Grant off the Falcons’ roster. The former All-Pro return man has not played since the 2021 season, stacking the odds against him. He is going into what would be an age-32 season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/11/24

Today’s minor transactions to wrap up the weekend:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Giants

  • Waived: RB Jacob Saylors

New York Jets

Trice will unfortunately see his rookie season come to an end before it began. The third-round pick out of Washington exited Atlanta’s first preseason game with a knee injury that was later confirmed to be a torn ACL. Trice had been working his way into to outside linebacker rotation with the Falcons.

With Mevis getting cut, it seems the Panthers’ kicking battle has been decided. The rookie kicker, known as the “Thicker Kicker” at Missouri, was brought in to provide incumbent kicker Eddy Pineiro with competition for the job. Mevis’ departure leaves Pineiro as the only remaining kicker on the roster, putting an end to any competition.

Giants Sign RB Jacob Saylors

With Saquon Barkley no longer leading the backfield, the Giants face an uncertain RB corps. The team has added another option to the mix, as the team announced that they’ve signed running back Jacob Saylors. In a corresponding move, the team placed wide receiver Chase Cota on injured reserve.

Saylors had 3,851 yards and 33 touchdowns during his time at East Tennessee State. That performance helped earn him preseason and practice-squad jobs with the Bengals and Falcons as an undrafted rookie. After getting cut by Atlanta’s practice squad late last season, Saylors ended up catching on with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the UFL. There, he rushed for 461 yards and five touchdowns.

Now, he’ll be looking to make his NFL debut with the Giants, although he faces an uphill battle to make the roster. Devin Singletary is expected to lead the depth chart, with Saylors joining a backup grouping that features the likes of Eric Gray, Jashaun Corbin, and rookies Dante Miller and Tyrone Tracy Jr..

Cota has bounced around the NFL since going undrafted out of Oregon in 2023. The wideout has had stints with the Lions, Chiefs, Texans, and Giants. After not receiving a reserve/futures contract with the Texans at the end of the 2023 campaign, he ended up getting that opportunity from the Giants. Unfortunately, Cota suffered an injury that required him to land on IR, although depending on the severity, an injury settlement could allow him to catch on with another squad.

UFL Rumors: Davis, Saylors, Butler

As the 2024 UFL season comes to an end this weekend with the championship game between the Birmingham Stallions and San Antonio Brahmas, players in the league are now able to work out with NFL squads and should be able to begin signing NFL contracts starting Tuesday. We’ve already seen a number of names pop up as potential NFL signees to look out for this upcoming week.

One of the earliest names we saw was that of wide receiver Daewood Davis, who Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports is expected to sign with the Panthers pending a physical. Davis played at Oregon for three years in college, failing to crack the starting lineup before transferring to Western Kentucky, where he immediately blew up as a difference maker. His efforts with the Hilltoppers didn’t get him drafted, but Davis signed as an undrafted free agent with the Dolphins. He was waived with an injury designation in final roster cuts last year but found his way to the Memphis Showboats of the UFL.

In 10 games with the Showboats, Davis caught 41 passes (6th in the UFL) for 446 yards (7th) and five touchdowns (tied-2nd). His efforts earned him one of three wide receiver spots on the inaugural All-UFL Team. If everything works out as expected, Davis could join a two-deep that currently includes Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen, first-round rookie Xavier Legette, Jonathan Mingo, Terrace Marshall, and Ihmir Smith-Marsette.

Here are a couple other UFL rumors from recent days:

  • Davis isn’t the only receiver the Panthers are looking at out of the UFL. Per Rapoport, Carolina also worked out the league’s leading receiver Hakeem Butler before they went to summer break. Butler is the oldest of the group we’re reporting on tonight and is the only drafted player. Butler was a fourth-round pick for the Cardinals back in 2019 after an incredible junior year at Iowa State that saw him catch 60 balls for 1,318 yards and nine touchdowns. A preseason broken hand kept Butler out of his rookie season, and he was waived before his sophomore campaign. The Eagles signed him and tried to convert him to a tight end, but he failed to stick in Philadelphia, as well, getting waived before the 2021 NFL season. Butler spent the next year in the Canadian Football League before signing with the Battlehawks when they were still in the XFL. He spent a short offseason stint with the Steelers this past year before finding his way back to the Battlehawks after failing to make the 53-man roster in Pittsburgh. In his second stint with the team, Butler joined Davis as two of three All-UFL Team receivers, leading the league with 652 receiving yards on 45 catches and five touchdowns.
  • Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports that the Giants are set to host Battlehawks running back Jacob Saylors this Tuesday. Signing as an undrafted free agent with the Bengals last year out of East Tennessee State, Saylors was waived in final roster cuts this past August before spending a bit of time on the Falcons’ practice squad. In nine games with St. Louis, Saylors led the UFL’s running backs with 460 rushing yards (trailing only Stallions quarterback Adrian Martinez for the league lead) while tying for second in rushing touchdowns with five. Saylors joined Davis and his St. Louis teammate, Butler, as the only running back on the All-UFL Team. After watching Saquon Barkley depart in free agency, New York may look to add Saylors to a stable that currently includes veteran Devin Singletary and first- and second-year backs Eric Gray, Jashaun Corbin, and Tyrone Tracy.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/20/23

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Activated from IR: TE Parker Hesse
  • Placed on IR: RB Jacob Saylors

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Signed: QB Drew Plitt
  • Placed on IR: G Jaxson Kirkland

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

With Mark Andrews sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Ravens have added some tight end depth. The team ended up opting for Scotty Washington, who got into one game with the Patriots as a rookie in 2022. The Wake Forest product was one of several tight ends to work out for Baltimore today, with the group also featuring O.J. Howard, Connor Davis, and Chris Myarick (per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston).

While Michael Thomas recovers from a knee injury, the Saints are turning to a familiar face. Marquez Callaway is back with the Saints after bouncing around the NFL in 2023. The wideout wasn’t re-signed by the Saints following the 2022 campaign, and he’s since spent time with the Broncos and Raiders. The former UDFA spent the first three seasons of his career in New Orleans, hauling in 83 catches for 1,069 yards and seven touchdowns.

Eric Rowe has found a new home after getting cut by the Panthers practice squad back in September. Rowe earned a pair of Super Bowl rings during his three-year stint in New England, and he followed that up with a three-year stint in Miami. Rowe got into 14 games (six starts) for the Dolphins in 2022, finishing with 56 tackles and two sacks.