Minor NFL Transactions: 5/13/25
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB Kaimon Rucker
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DL Keith Cooper
- Waived: OL Leif Fautanu
Houston Texans
- Waived: CB Gregory Junior
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Kana’i Mauga
- Waived: LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DT Da’Jon Terry
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed off waivers (from Raiders): DT Matthew Butler
- Waived: DT Tre’vonn Rybka
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: LB Anfernee Orji
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Derrick Canteen
- Waived: S Quindell Johnson
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/13/25
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
- CB Ekow Boye-Doe, LB Elliott Brown, OL McClendon Curtis
Cleveland Browns
- DT Ralph Holley
Denver Broncos
- LB K.J. Cloyd, OLB Andrew Farmer, G Nick Gargiulo, DE Matt Henningsen, DB Tanner McCalister, NT Jordan Miller, CB Quinton Newsome, WR A.T. Perry, OL William Sherman, DB Keidron Smith, CB Reese Taylor, G Calvin Throckmorton, TE Thomas Yassmin
Green Bay Packers
- DL Deslin Alexandre, S Omar Brown, DL James Ester, CB Kamal Hadden, K Alex Hale, G Marquis Hayes, WR Julian Hicks, OL Donovan Jennings, WR Cornelius Johnson, CB Kalen King, DL Jeremiah Martin, TE Messiah Swinson
Los Angeles Chargers
- G Karsen Barnhart, TE McCallan Castles, WR Dez Fitzpatrick, DL Christopher Hinton, LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, WR Jaylen Johnson, LB Tre’Mon Morris-Brash, LB Caleb Murphy, RB Jaret Patterson, S Kendall Williamson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- OT Doug Nester
Chargers Place RB J.K. Dobbins, S Alohi Gilman On IR
The Chargers continue to deal with injuries in the running game, placing a running back on injured reserve for the second time this year. A couple weeks after the return of Gus Edwards from IR, J.K. Dobbins has been placed on the injured list. Joining Dobbins in an absence of at least four weeks is safety Alohi Gilman. 
It’s frustrating news for Dobbins, who will fail to play a healthy, full season for the first time since his rookie year. Dobbins missed a game with a COVID-19 designation in his rookie season and, since then, has missed the entire 2021 season, nine games the following year, and 16 games last year. Through 12 weeks this season, it finally looked like Dobbins was going to put together a full season. Instead, the 25-year-old will miss the next four games, at least, with a sprained MCL. He’ll hope to come back for a potential playoff run at the end of the season.
Gilman is dealing with a hamstring injury that will cause him to miss his first game of the season since Week 2. Gilman’s in the first year of a new contract, after securing an extension by grading out as the seventh-best safety in the league last year, according to Pro Football Focus. Gilman has slumped in 2024, ranking 80th out of 89 graded safeties, per PFF. He’ll hope to make a return late in the season to try and turn things around.
The Chargers will fill one of the two vacated roster spots by signing veteran safety Tony Jefferson to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. The 32-year-old has extensive starting experience and has appeared in three games this year for Los Angeles. He’ll likely be included in the plan to replace Gilman over the next several weeks.
The team also named cornerback Dicaprio Bootle and linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste as standard gameday practice squad elevations for this weekend.
Chargers Waive RB Isaiah Spiller, T Alex Leatherwood; Get Down To 53
The Chargers made their way down to 53 players today with a number of waives and releases:
Released:
Waived:
- G Karsen Barnhart
- TE Luke Benson
- DL Jerrod Clark
- S Akeem Dent
- RB Elijah Dotson
- OLB Andrew Farmer
- TE Tucker Fisk
- WR Jaelen Gill
- LB Frank Ginda
- CB Matt Hankins
- S Thomas Harper
- TE Zach Heins
- DL Christopher Hinton
- OLB Savion Jackson
- LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste
- WR Cornelius Johnson
- WR Jaylen Johnson
- CB Robert Kennedy
- C Brent Laing
- T Alex Leatherwood
- LB Shane Lee
- OLB Tre’Mon Morris-Brash
- DL C.J. Okoye
- G Willis Patrick
- QB Luis Perez
- S Jalyn Phillips
- TE Isaac Rex
- OLB Ty Shelby
- RB Isaiah Spiller
- CB Zamari Walton
- WR Isaiah Wooden
Placed on IR:
- OLB Chris Collins
- T Tyler McLellan
- OLB Chris Rumph
- IOL Bucky Williams
Placed on IR (designated for return):
- LB Nick Niemann
There aren’t too many surprises here. Of the veterans, Parham fell victim to the addition of two veteran receiving options, and Quarterman was a long-time special teamer.
Michigan wide receiver Johnson was the only drafted rookie who failed to make the roster after being selected in the seventh round. While no undrafted rookies made the roster either, McLellan and Williams will stick around on the IR, where they will remain out for the year. Niemann will have the option to be activated after four games.
The biggest cuts we otherwise see are Spiller, who got some run as a depth option at running back last year, and Leatherwood. Leatherwood, the former first-round pick out of Alabama, continues to struggle to find his place in the NFL.
Chargers Agree To Terms With 21 UDFAs
The Chargers’ roster is set to look very different in 2024. With the departure of key players such as Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Gerald Everett, Kenneth Murray, Austin Johnson, and several others, Los Angeles had plenty of room on the roster for this summer, even after selecting a nine-man class in the 2024 NFL Draft. To fill out the roster, the Chargers turned to these undrafted free agents:
- Karsen Barnhart, G (Michigan)
- Casey Bauman, QB (Augustana)
- Luke Benson, TE (Georgia Tech)
- Akeem Dent, S (Florida State)
- Jaelen Gill, WR (Fresno State)
- Thomas Harper, S (Notre Dame)
- Zach Heins, TE (South Dakota State)
- Savion Jackson, OLB (North Carolina State)
- Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, LB (Mississippi)
- Leon Johnson, WR (Oklahoma State)
- Jaylen Johnson, WR (East Carolina)
- Robert Kennedy, CB (North Carolina State)
- Micheal Mason, DL (Coastal Carolina)
- Tremon Morris-Brash, OLB (Central Florida)
- Tyler McLellan, T (Campbell)
- Willis Patrick, G (TCU)
- Jalyn Phillips, S (Clemson)
- Tyler Smith, T (Western Carolina)
- Zamari Walton, CB (Mississippi)
- Luquay Washington, LB (Central Connecticut)
- Bucky Williams, C/G (Appalachian State)
Barnhart brings an intriguing versatility to a new Chargers offense led by offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Roman loves a guy who can play all over the line (see Patrick Mekari in Baltimore), and Barnhart started games at every offensive line spot but center during his time with the national champion Wolverines. In the team’s championship-winning season alone, Barnhart started eight games at right tackle, four games at left tackle, and three games at right guard en route to second-team All-Big Ten honors.
Heins is another great fit for a Roman offense. Helping the Jackrabbits to back-to-back FCS national championships, Heins established himself as a starter due to his in-line blocking abilities. While, in his three years as a full-time starter, he only racked up 989 receiving yards, he also tallied 17 touchdowns in that same stretch.
The team adds two intriguing options at safety, as well. Harper started for the Fighting Irish as a transfer after four years at Oklahoma State. He didn’t make may plays on balls in the air but showed versatility as a nickel option and a blitzer. Dent, a one-time five-star recruit as a junior in high school, has tons of athleticism, he’s just never been able to convert it into on-field production.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.