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Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC North

August 27th, 2025 at 3:17pm 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 Bears, Lions, Packers and Vikings moves are noted below.

Chicago Bears

Claimed:

LB D’Marco Jackson (from Saints), CB Jaylon Jones (from Cardinals)

Released:

LS Scott Daly, WR Devin Duvernay

Signed to practice squad:

WR Maurice Alexander, WR Miles Boykin, RB Brittain Brown, TE Stephen Carlson, DL Xavier Carlton, LB Power Echols, LS Luke Elkin, CB Tre Flowers, DL Jonathan Ford, DB Mekhi Garner, DL Tanoh Kpassagnon, DL Jamree Kromah, OL Jordan McFadden, WR JP Richardson, OL Ricky Stromberg

Detroit Lions

Signed:

S Daniel Thomas

Claimed:

DT Tyler Lacy (from Jaguars), DE Tyrus Wheat (from Cowboys)

Signed to practice squad:

DL Myles Adams, WR Ronnie Bell, C Trystan Colon, DL Keith Cooper, DB Erick Hallett, TE Zach Horton, WR Tom Kennedy, WR Jackson Meeks, OL Mason Miller, OL Michael Niese, LB Anthony Pittman, RB Jacob Saylors, S Loren Strickland, T Dan Skipper, DL Isaac Ukwu

Green Bay Packers

Signed:

LB Nick Niemann

Waived:

CB Micah Robinson

Signed to practice squad:

RB Israel Abanikanda, DL Deslin Alexandre, DB Johnathan Baldwin, T Brant Banks, DL James Ester, WR Mecole Hardman, LB Jamon Johnson, K Mark McNamee, DL Arron Mosby, WR Isaiah Neyor, WR Will Sheppard, DB Jaylin Simpson, LB Kristian Welch

Minnesota Vikings

Signed to practice squad:

G Henry Byrd, WR Dontae Fleming, S Kahlef Hailassie, DL Jonathan Harris, WR Lucky Jackson, WR Jeshuan Jones, WR Tim Jones, G Vershon Lee, CB Fabian Moreau, OLB Gabriel Murphy, TE Bryson Nesbit, T Max Pircher, DL Taki Taimani, RB Xazavian Valladay, TE Nick Vannett, CB Zemaiah Vaughn

Bears Activate Jaylon Johnson, Cut Roster Down To 53

August 26th, 2025 at 5:44pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Bears made a flurry of move to trim their roster down to 53 players on Tuesday, per a team announcement, headlined by the activation of Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson from the physically unable to perform list.

Johnson missed all of training camp after injuring his leg during offseason training. Chicago is hoping that he can be ready for Week 1, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, but the 26-year-old still hasn’t returned to the practice field. Keeping him on the 53-man roster suggests that the team believe he has a good chance of coming back in the first four weeks of the season.

The Bears also activated Tory Taylor to the roster in a procedural move. The Australian-born punter was given an international exemption to give Chicago an extra, 91st roster spot during the offseason, but he cannot keep the exemption and remain on the 53-man roster.

Here are the rest of the Bears’ roster moves:

Placed on injured reserve (designated to return)

RB Travis Homer
LB Amen Ogbongbemiga

Waived/injured

DB Tysheem Johnson
OL Doug Kramer
OL Bill Murray

Waived

WR Maurice Alexander
RB Brittain Brown
LS Luke Elkin
DL Jonathan Ford
DB Mekhi Garner
DL Jamree Kromah
OL Jordan McFadden
DL Zacch Pickens
WR JP Richardson
WR Tyler Scott
OL Ricky Stromberg

Released

Homer appeared in 10 games for the Bears in 2024, primarily on special teams. He re-signed in Chicago this offseason and will spent a minimum of four games on the sidelines to start the year as he deals with a calf injury, per Biggs. Ogbongbemiga, also a returning special teams ace, will also be out for at least four weeks after injuring his shoulder.

The Bears tried to trade McFadden before final roster cuts, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, but were unable to find a partner and waived the former Charger.

Pickens and Scott are two 2023 draft picks that will not survive the team’s coaching change. Pickett, the first pick of the third round, started three games last year and appeared in six more with minimal production. Scott, a fourth-round pick, started four games as a rookie before fading into the background with just one reception in 2024.

Richardson is a practice squad candidate after a strong training camp, per Biggs. So is Stromberg, according to Adam Jahn of CHGO Sports. The former Commanders third-round pick will provide depth at center behind Drew Dalman and Ryan Bates.

Kpassagnon followed Dennis Allen to Chicago this offseason and signed a one-year deal with no guaranteed money, making him an ideal candidate to be released and re-signed to the practice squad via a handshake agreement. That appears to be the plan, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times, which will keep the veteran linemen available for early-season elevations to the active roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/7/25

April 7th, 2025 at 7:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Signed RFA tender: DL Chris Williams
Signed ERFA tender: DL Jonathan Ford, DL Daniel Hardy, OL Bill Murray, DB Ameer Speed

Cleveland Browns

Signed ERFA tender: TE Blake Whiteheart

Denver Broncos

Signed ERFA tender: TE Lucas Krull

Green Bay Packers

Re-signed: DE Arron Mosby

Las Vegas Raiders

Signed ERFA tender: DT Matthew Butler, LB LB Kana’i Mauga, G Jordan Meredith, DE Charles Snowden, CB Sam Webb

Minnesota Vikings

Released: CB Nahshon Wright

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/24

December 11th, 2024 at 8:25pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor roster updates:

Atlanta Falcons

Signed to active roster: RB Carlos Washington Jr.
Placed on IR: RB Jase McClellan

Buffalo Bills

Designated to return from IR: DT Dawuane Smoot, LB Baylon Spector

Chicago Bears

Signed off Packers’ practice squad: DT Jonathan Ford
Placed on IR: WR DeAndre Carter

Cleveland Browns

Designated to return from IR: DT Mike Hall Jr.

Los Angeles Rams

Reverted to season-ending IR: G KT Leveston

Miami Dolphins

Designated to return from IR: WR Grant DuBose

New York Giants

Signed off Cardinals’ practice squad: CB Divaad Wilson
Designated to return from IR: OL Austin Schlottmann
Placed on IR: S Tyler Nubin

New York Jets

Signed off Colts’ practice squad: CB Jaylin Simpson
Placed on IR: WR Irvin Charles

Seattle Seahawks

Designated to return from IR: CB Artie Burns, S K’Von Wallace

It’s unfortunate news for the rookie second-round safety, Nubin. After starting the first 13 games of his first season in the NFL, the top-drafted safety in the 2024 NFL Draft will end the year on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Nubin had graded out as the 34th-best safety in the league, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), before the injury.

Charles will miss the remainer of the season, as well, and perhaps some of next year. The former undrafted receiver will be undergoing surgery for a torn ACL.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/25/24

October 25th, 2024 at 8:22pm CST by Adam La Rose

Friday’s taxi squad moves:

Green Bay Packers

Signed: DL Jonathan Ford

Los Angeles Rams

Released (via injury settlement): LB Zach VanValkenburg

Miami Dolphins

Signed: DT Matt Dickerson

Pittsburgh Steelers

Signed: WR Andy Isabella

Seattle Seahawks

Signed: S Ty Okada
Released: LB Zeke Turner

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/23/24

October 23rd, 2024 at 7:33pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Activated from IR: OT Christian Jones

Baltimore Ravens

Designated for return: CB Jalyn Armour-Davis

Chicago Bears

Designated for return: OL Larry Borom, RB Travis Homer

Dallas Cowboys

Designated for return: DL Jordan Phillips

Green Bay Packers

Signed: LS Matt Orzech
Waived: DL Jonathan Ford

New York Jets

Signed to active roster: S Jalen Mills
Placed on IR: OL Xavier Newman-Johnson
Designated for return: TE Kenny Yeboah

San Francisco 49ers

Promoted: DL Evan Anderson

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Promoted: P Trenton Gill, WR Ryan Miller

Washington Commanders

Activated from IR: LB Jordan Magee

The Bears should soon be getting some offensive reinforcement. Most notably, lineman Larry Borom returned to practice today after missing the first chunk of the season with an ankle injury. The former fifth-round pick has been a reliable swing OT for the Bears over the past three years, starting 23 of his 39 appearances. The team will also welcome back Travis Homer, who has been sidelined since Week 3 with a finger injury. The veteran RB may have a tough time cracking the rotation upon his return with D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, and Khalil Herbert currently leading the depth chart. The Bears will have 21 days to activate either of the two players to the 53-man roster.

Jordan Phillips was back at Cowboys practice today after landing on IR in mid-September. The defensive lineman’s injury wasn’t ever made particularly clear; the Cowboys claimed the player was favoring his previously repaired wrist, although the player later hinted that he was forced to the sideline because of conditioning. After more than a month on the shelf, the veteran will now get another look. The Cowboys acquired Phillips from the Giants back in August, and the veteran only got into about one fourth of his team’s defensive snaps before landing on IR. Phillips appeared in 26 games for the Bills between 2022 and 2023, collecting 35 tackles and four sacks.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/21/24

October 21st, 2024 at 7:17pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Promoted: LB Markus Bailey, DL Ben Stille

Atlanta Falcons

Released from IR: LB Milo Eifler

Baltimore Ravens

Signed to active roster: RB Chris Collier
Promoted: LB Kristian Welch

Green Bay Packers

Activated off IR: DL Jonathan Ford
Released: LS Matt Orzech

Las Vegas Raiders

Signed to active roster: DT Zach Carter
Waived: DT Nesta Jade Silvera

Los Angeles Chargers

Signed to active roster: CB Dicaprio Bootle, CB Shaun Wade
Promoted: C Sam Mustipher, WR Jalen Reagor
Placed on IR: DB Deane Leonard

Los Angeles Rams

Waived: LB Elias Neal

New York Giants

Signed to active roster: DT Armon Watts

New York Jets

Reinstated from reserve/Did Not Report: LB Haason Reddick (story)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Promoted: P Trenton Gill

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, today’s moves were purely procedural. After returning to practice earlier this month, Jonathan Ford was nearing the end of his activation window. To avoid the defensive lineman landing on season-ending injured reserve, the Packers activated the former seventh-round pick to the active roster. That meant the Packers needed to carve out a spot, and long snapper Matt Orzech was the temporary casualty. However, Silverstein says Orzech will land back on the roster later this week following more roster machinations.

Meanwhile, the Giants added Armon Watts to the active roster following the lineman’s stint on the team’s practice squad. It sounds like rival teams may have forced the Giants hand. As ESPN’s Jordan Raanan notes, other teams expressed interest in the former Bears starter, forcing the Giants to secure Watts services now (vs. continuing to stash him on the taxi squad).

Elsewhere in New York, Haason Reddick was officially activated from the Did Not Report list today. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the Jets now have a two-game roster exemption to officially add the pass-rusher to the 53-man roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/2/24

October 2nd, 2024 at 8:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Practice window opened: T Christian Jones

Cleveland Browns

Signed to active roster: LB Nathaniel Watson

Green Bay Packers

Practice window opened: DT Jonathan Ford

Houston Texans

Practice window opened: DT Kurt Hinish

Las Vegas Raiders

Practice window opened: S Trey Taylor

New York Giants

Practice window opened: LB Matthew Adams

Miami Dolphins

Practice window opened: CB Cam Smith

New England Patriots

Designated for return from reserve/PUP list: WR Kendrick Bourne, LB Sione Takitaki (story)
Practice window opened: S Marte Mapu

New York Jets

Practice window opened: DT Leki Fotu
Released from IR: LB Brandon Smith

Pittsburgh Steelers

Signed to active roster: RB Aaron Shampklin
Practice window opened: LB Jeremiah Moon

San Francisco 49ers

Practice window opened: DL Kalia Davis

Seattle Seahawks

Designated for return from PUP list: DT Cameron Young

Today marks most teams’ first practice before Week 5, making it the first date players stashed on IR as teams set their initial 53-man rosters can work out again with their teams. This year’s IR tweak allowed teams to designate up to two players for return August 27, the catch being all players who receive that designation count toward their respective club’s eight-activation total. The batch included in today’s minor moves post consists entirely of players to receive that August IR-return designation.

The IR-return window is unchanged, however, with teams having 21 days from Wednesday to activate these players. Anyone from today’s group not being activated from IR by October 23 must miss the rest of the season. PFR will keep track of all players returning from IR via the Injured Reserve Return Tracker.

Packers Announce 53-Man Roster

August 27th, 2024 at 11:23pm CST by Ben Levine

The Packers featured the youngest roster in the NFL last season, and they’re set to return most of that young core in 2024. Still, the team had to move on from a long list of inexperienced players as they pared their roster down to 53 players. The organization announced the following roster moves today:

Released:

LB Kristian Welch

Waived:

DL Deslin Alexandre
DL Brevin Allen
DL Keshawn Banks
K Anders Carlson (story)
QB Sean Clifford (story)
WR Grant DuBose
DL James Ester
CB Gemon Green
K Alex Hale
WR Julian Hicks
OL Donovan Jennings
S Anthony Johnson Jr.
OT Caleb Jones
CB Kalen King
RB Nate McCrary
RB Ellis Merriweather
DL Zach Morton
OL Royce Newman (story)
TE Henry Pearson
QB Michael Pratt (story)
CB Robert Rochell
LB Chris Russell
S Benny Sapp III
DL Keonte Schad
OL Lecitus Smith
WR Dimitri Stanley
TE Messiah Swinson
OT Luke Tenuta
WR Samori Toure
DL Spencer Waege
WR Jalen Wayne
TE Joel Wilson
LB Christian Young

Waived/injured:

CB LJ Davis
LB Ralen Goforth

Placed on IR:

TE Tyler Davis
RB AJ Dillon (story)
DL Jonathan Ford (designated for return)

Linebacker Kristian Welch brings the most experience of the bunch, with the former UDFA appearing in 57 career games in time with the Ravens and Packers. He spent the 2023 campaign in Green Bay, where he played all 210 of his snaps on special teams. Considering his limited experience on defense, there’s a chance the Packers are tinkering with their roster and intend to bring the veteran back via the practice squad.