Minor NFL Transactions: 6/17/26
Today’s midweek minor NFL transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR Juice Wells Jr.
- Waived: DE CJ Nunnally IV, WR Casey Washington
- Released: DT Elijah Garcia
Denver Broncos
- Reverted to IR: WR Michael Woods
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Tarik Black, WR Lucky Jackson, WR Tay Martin
- Placed on IR: WR Kendrick Law (story)
- Waived: WR Kyre Duplessis
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Mason Pline
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived (with injury settlement): OL Chad Lindberg
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: T Gottlieb Ayedze
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: K Tanner Brown, QB Hunter Dekkers, WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper
- Waived (with injury designation): WR Damien Alford
- Waived: DT Coziah Izzard, CB DaShawn Jones, K Mason Shipley
A couple UFL standouts landed NFL opportunities today. Miami is adding Ayedze following his offseason tenure with the Houston Gamblers. Brown will be replacing Shipley in New Orleans as the Louisville Kings kicker appears to be the preferred option over the undrafted Texas rookie.
In Detroit, the Lions made a series of transactions as they reshape the depth of their receiving corps following the season-ending ACL tear Law suffered.
UFL Stars Try Out For NFL Teams
The United Football League’s 2026 season wrapped last Friday with the DC Defenders’ United Bowl win over the Louisville Kings.
Now, many UFL players are looking to make the jump to the NFL, including former Buccaneers and Rams linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi. He worked out for the Cowboys on Monday, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.
Fatukasi, 27, logged 23 tackles (three for loss) and two sacks in seven games for the Birmingham Stallions this year. His first NFL experience came in Tampa Bay, where he made the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie in 2022. He carved out a special teams role for the first 13 games of the season but was waived in December. Fatukasi then spent time with the Broncos, Patriots, and Chiefs before making another regular season appearance for the Rams at the end of the 2023 season. The veteran linebacker was waived by Los Angeles in 2024 and spent the last two years in the UFL.
Another former NFLer seeking a return to the league is Orlando Banks edge rusher Keshawn Banks, who auditioned for the Falcons on Monday, Wilson reports. Banks ranked among the UFL’s top 10 defenders with five sacks and 11 tackles for loss this year with previous stints with the Packers, Patriots, and Cardinals. His only regular season action in the NFL came in New England in 2023, when he played 61 special teams snaps in three elevations from the practice squad.
The Texans stayed local for their tryouts with Houston Gamblers running back Marcus Yarns and linebager Eugene Asante, per Wilson. Yarns, who spent training camp with the Saints in 2025, posted 345 rushing yards in the UFL this year, the fifth-most in the league. His 5.7 yards per carry also ranked second among all players with at least 25 carries. Asante, who had brief stints on the Browns’ and Falcons’ practice squads last season, made 40 tackles (three for loss) across his nine games with the Gamblers.
Another Gambler, wide receiver/returner Jalen Moreno-Cropper, worked out at the Saints’ mandatory minicamp (via Wilson). The former Fresno State standout signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and spent his rookie year on the practice squad. He made one regular season appearance in 2024 and three in 2025, all via practice squad elevations, with a total of just 45 snaps. In 2026, Moreno-Cropper ranked 11th in the UFL with 41.6 yards per game and ninth with 72.0 all-purpose yards per game.
NFL teams often use this spring workouts to determine their options should injuries pop up between now and training camp. They are also preparing to fill roster spots vacated by players set to go on injured lists. For example, Cowboys offensive lineman Matt Hennessy is likely to open training camp on the physically unable to perform list after recently undergoing neck surgery.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/6/25
With the regular season having come to an end, many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts. This allows organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Andre Baccellia, CB Jaden Davis, CB Darren Hall, OL Matthew Jones, WR Tejhaun Palmer, TE Bernhard Seikovits, DL Ben Stille
Atlanta Falcons
- DT Junior Aho, WR Phillip Dorsett, RB Elijah Dotson, WR Dylan Drummond, G Joey Fisher, G Jovaughn Gwyn, DB Lamar Jackson, QB Emory Jones, DE Khalid Kareem, WR Jesse Matthews, DB Benny Sapp III, OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
Carolina Panthers
- RB Emani Bailey, G Ja’Tyre Carter, TE Dominique Dafney, LB Kenny Dyson, LB Thomas Incoom, WR T.J. Luther, TE Jordan Matthews, WR Dax Milne, C Andrew Raym, G Brandon Walton
Chicago Bears
- OL Theo Benedet, OL Chris Glaser, WR John Jackson, LB Carl Jones Jr., DL Jamree Kromah, QB Austin Reed, OL Ricky Stromberg, WR Samori Toure, TE Joel Wilson
Cleveland Browns
- G Javion Cohen, S Trey Dean, DE Marcus Haynes, OT Roy Mbaeteka, TE Tre’ McKitty, OT Julian Pearl, DE Elerson Smith, K Andre Szmyt, OT Lorenzo Thompson
Dallas Cowboys
- G Jack Anderson, DB Luq Barcoo, DT Denzel Daxon, WR Kelvin Harmon, LB Brock Mogensen, WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper, DB Troy Pride Jr., LB Luiji Vilain, WR Seth Williams
Indianapolis Colts
- RB Salvon Ahmed, LB Austin Ajiake, LB Liam Anderson, QB Jason Bean, S Marcel Dabo, CB Alex Johnson, G Atonio Mafi, TE Sean McKeon, WR D.J. Montgomery, DE Durell Nchami, TE Albert Okwuegbunam, DT Pheldarius Payne, G Josh Sills, WR Laquon Treadwell
Las Vegas Raiders
- DE David Agoha, OT Gottlieb Ayedze, CB M.J. Devonshire, CB Keenan Isaac, WR Shedrick Jackson, WR Tyreik McAllister, DE Ovie Oghoufo, C Will Putnam, LB Brandon Smith, RB Isaiah Spiller, OT Dalton Wagner, WR Kristian Wilkerson
New York Giants
- K Jude McAtamney, DL Ross Blacklock, C Bryan Hudson, C Jimmy Morrissey, DL Casey Rogers
New York Jets
- OL Zack Bailey, RB Zach Evans, T Obinna Eze, TE Zack Kuntz, G Kohl Levao, QB Adrian Martinez, LB Jackson Sirmon, WR Brandon Smith, DB Tre Swilling, WR Easop Winston
San Francisco 49ers
- DL Jonathan Garvin, OL Sebastian Gutierrez, DL Tarron Jackson, OL Zack Johnson, CB Chase Lucas, S Jaylen Mahoney, QB Tanner Mordecai, OL Drake Nugent, WR Terique Owens, TE Mason Pline, WR Trent Taylor
Seattle Seahawks
- DT Quinton Bohanna, CB Ryan Cooper, LB Michael Dowell, CB Tyler Hall, C Mike Novitsky, DE Kenneth Odumegwu, S Ty Okada, WR Cornell Powell, LB Jamie Sheriff, LB Tyreke Smith, CB Damarion Williams
Tennessee Titans
- DT McTelvin Agim, DT Abdullah Anderson, LB Curtis Bolton, OL Chandler Brewer, DT Isaiah Iton, CB Gabe Jeudy-Lally, OLB Kyron Johnson, WR Stanley Morgan, TE Thomas Odukoya, S Gervarrius Owens, T Isaiah Prince, RB Jabari Small
Cowboys Sign 13 UDFAs
The Cowboys didn’t release a statement on their undrafted free agent signings like most teams, but they did release a list of 29 rookie minicamp participants and their statuses with the organization. Removing their eight draft picks, two UDFA tryouts, and previously acquired youngsters, we were able to determine this list of undrafted signees:
- WR Jose Barbon (Temple)
- T T.J. Bass (Oregon)
- T Earl Bostick (Kansas)
- CB Myles Brooks (Louisiana Tech)
- WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper (Fresno State)
- WR David Durden (West Florida)
- TE Princeton Fant (Tennessee)
- DE Durrell Johnson (Liberty)
- LB Isaiah Land (Florida A&M)
- FB Hunter Luepke (North Dakota State)
- CB D’Angelo Mandell (BYU)
- TE John Stephens (Louisiana)
- DE Tyrus Wheat (Mississippi State)
Dallas addressed the tight end position in the second round this year with a bit of project in Michigan’s Luke Schoonmaker. They decided to bring in a couple more options in Fant and Stephens. Fant provides a unique versatility as a potential H-back. In addition to his career 579 receiving yards and five touchdowns, Fant rushed for five more scores and threw one as a sixth-year senior. Stephens was rostered as a receiver for the Ragin’ Cajuns, but his 6-foot-6, 232-pound frame should assist him in converting to tight end at the next level.
The Cowboys barely addressed wide receiver in the draft, so they’ve nabbed a few here, as well. Durden was a monster during his time with the Argonauts. A former draft pick for the Boston Red Sox, Durden left baseball for West Florida and dominated, catching 88 passes for 1,915 yards and 23 touchdowns with only three drops in his final two years of school. Over his entire college career, he averaged nearly 20 yards per catch. He’ll need to adjust to the NFL-caliber of opponents, but his raw athleticism and special teams ability could help cement him a spot on the roster.
Moreno-Cropper had a strong final two season with the Bulldogs, as well, with 1,985 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s had a bit of trouble with surehandedness and he’s a bit undersized, but the Cowboys haven’t minded smaller receivers like Brandin Cooks and KaVontae Turpin in recent history.
The team also added two strong depth pieces at defensive end. Johnson had a down 2021 but combined for 17.5 sacks and 38.0 tackles for loss in his 2020 and 2022 seasons. Wheat finished his three-year career with the Bulldogs with 17.0 sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss. They have some strong competition for potential snaps, but they provide solid depth at the position regardless.