Justin Shorter

Raiders To Promote WR Justin Shorter

Amari Cooper was positioned to play a role in the Raiders’ passing game upon returning to the franchise for 2025. The 10-year veteran will not be in the fold, however, given his decision to retire.

[RELATED: Recapping Raiders’ Offseason]

When Cooper informed the Raiders he was hanging up his cleats only one week after signing, the team was left shorthanded at the receiver position. At least one move will take place before Week 1 to provide depth. Justin Shorter is being promoted from the practice squad to the active roster, as first reported by Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Vegas had three taxi squad options to choose from entering Friday, and Shorter will get a look during the team’s opening game. A fifth-round pick of the Bills in 2023, Shorter did not seen any regular season game action with Buffalo. He caught on with the Raiders last season, making a total of 10 appearances. Shorter hardly played on offense, but he logged a 45% snap share on special teams. A third phase workload would come as no surprise this time around.

Shorter was among the Raiders’ roster cuts last week, but he was immediately retained via a practice squad agreement. That move suggested he could see game time as an elevation, but Cooper’s retirement call created a spot on the active roster. Shorter, 25, will look to find success in a limited role early in 2025.

Vegas has 2024 receiving leader Jakobi Meyers in place, along with third-year contributor Tre Tucker and a pair of rookies (Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton) set to lead the way at the receiver spot. Coming off a record-breaking rookies campaign, tight end Brock Bowers will of course be counted on as a focal point in the passing game as well. Shorter will aim to chip in on special teams for at least one game while the Raiders evaluate their options to replace Cooper on a long-term basis.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC West

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 BroncosChargersChiefs and Raiders moves are noted below.

Denver Broncos

Signed to practice squad:

Kansas City Chiefs

Signed to practice squad:

Las Vegas Raiders

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Los Angeles Chargers

Signed:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Raiders Make Final Moves Down To 53 Players

After making 18 cuts on Monday, the Raiders the following 22 moves to trim their roster down to 53-players, per a team announcement:

Waived

Released

Placed on IR (designated for return)

Backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell is projected to be out for six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery for a fractured wrist, but curiously, he will not land on injured reserve with a return designation. The Raiders may be waiting to make that move in case they need to open up a roster spot for a waiver claim, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review Journal. Las Vegas also kept offensive tackle Thayer Munford, who was a risk to get claimed on waivers, according to Bonsignore.

Despite a pre-draft endorsement from Tom Brady and O’Connell’s injury, Miller was unable to hang on the 53-man roster as a third-string quarterback. The Raiders will need a backup quarterback to start the year, and Miller is an obvious candidate to return to the practice squad for early-season elevations as O’Connell heals. They could also scour the waiver wire and then transfer O’Connell to the IR.

Johnson suffered a broken fibula in early August, but it was not expected to end his season. His designation to return confirms that projection, but he will still be sidelined for a minimum of four games to start the year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/1/24

Friday saw only a few minor moves take place around the NFL:

Denver Broncos

Las Vegas Raiders

Throckmorton had been used as a gameday elevation from the practice squad three times, so to remain available moving forward he needed to join Denver’s active roster. Burton’s release has allowed for that to take place, but he will be eligible to immediately re-sign to the Broncos’ taxi squad and as such find himself a gameday callup for Week 9.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/26/24

Saturdays minor moves, including standard gameday practice squad elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/19/24

Today’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad callups:

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Autry was hit with a six-game PED suspension in July, leaving the Texans without a key figure along the defensive line. The free agent pickup could have suited up by means of Houston using his one-week roster exemption; instead, he has been activated in time for Week 7. Autry, 34, posted a career-high 11 sacks last season and he will look to make an immediate impact during his Texans debut. Especially with Mario Edwards having been issued a four-game suspension of his own earlier this week, he should have a notable role right away.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/29/24

PFR’s practice squad rundown, signaling we are indeed close to games that count, begins Thursday. Here is how teams began to handle their 16-man P-squads.

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Slovis went to camp with the Colts, joining the team as a UDFA this year. Houston placed Case Keenum on IR and released Tim Boyle, who is now the Dolphins’ P-squad QB. Slovis, who played at USC, Pittsburgh and BYU in college, is now the Texans’ de facto third-stringer.

Shelley has 11 career starts — with the Bears and Vikings — on his resume. He joined the Raiders last year but ended up with the Rams, playing in 11 games as a backup. The Giants have spent time searching for a cornerback answer, having not been too satisfied with their Cor’Dale FlottNick McCloud CB2 competition. New York did not make any waiver claims at the position Wednesday.

Reagor, who played for the Patriots last season, is back after being released earlier this week. The former Minnesota first-rounder played in 11 New England games last season, returning a kick for a touchdown. Latu joins the Browns after being a 49ers cut. The 2023 third-round pick missed all of last season with an ACL tear. Jefferson is back with the Bolts hours after being released.

Bills Pare Roster To 53; LB Matt Milano Receives IR-Return Designation

Here is how the Bills dropped their roster to the 53-man limit:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

  • T Travis Clayton

Placed on IR (return designation)

Milano suffered a biceps tear and will aim to return late in the season, though the All-Pro linebacker’s injury trouble is obviously a big-picture concern at this point. The Bills are also using one of their eight IR activations, mandated for teams who take advantage of the new rule to designate IR-return players today, on a backup running back. That is a rather interesting decision, as Evans has totaled just 62 carries since being drafted in the 2020 third round.

Residing on the Bills’ roster bubble going into camp, Damar Hamlin made the team. Ditto Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who joined Hamlin on the bubble. The bubble burst — for the time being, at least — on Collins and Clapp, who were vying for swing spots. Collins had been shuttled to guard — where he had not played since 2016 — in recent practices. Jackson joined the Bills after they ran into some injury trouble at safety early in camp.

Steveson, who has an Olympic wrestling gold medal, could be a practice squad candidate. The Eagles carried Olympian hurdler Devon Allen on their P-squad for two years, though the latter has far more football seasoning compared to Steveson. Attempting to follow in his father’s footsteps by securing a Bills gig, Gore is a P-squad candidate, per the Buffalo News’ Ryan O’Halloran. He will need to clear waivers first.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/13/23

Today’s minor moves from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Agnew has missed the four games required to return from injured reserve, and though he’s not been activated yet, the Jaguars took the first step towards that outcome today in returning him to practice. It was shoulder and rib injuries that led to the return specialist’s placement on IR. During his absence the team had turned to rookie sixth-round receiver Parker Washington to return punts and veteran backup running back D’Ernest Johnson to return kickoffs. Jacksonville still has a few days to determine whether or not they’ll activate him right away for this weekend. If not, the team will have 21 days to activate him before his practice window closes and Agnew is reverted to season-ending IR.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/31/23

Following a busy roster deadline day on Tuesday, teams continue to reshuffle their rosters. Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

  • Placed on IR: TE Stephen Sullivan

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

The Ravens brought back a trio of veterans to their 53-man roster. Brent Urban is probably destined for the biggest role, with the veteran lineman serving as the top backup to Broderick Washington at defensive end. Urban got into 16 games for Baltimore last season, collecting 21 tackles and one sack. Veteran QB Josh Johnson will slide behind Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley on the depth chart, and Kevon Seymour will continue his role as a key special teamer.

The Cardinals are temporarily losing some production with offensive lineman Dennis Daley and linebacker Myjai Sanders being placed on IR. Daley joined the Cardinals on a two-year deal this offseason after starting 15 of his 17 appearances for the Titans in 2022. Sanders had a productive rookie campaign, with the third-round pick collecting 23 tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble.

Julian Okwara has turned into a productive pass-rushing option in Detroit. The former third-round pick has collected seven sacks over the past two seasons, but he’ll now be sidelined for the start of the season while recovering from a knee injury suffered during in the preseason finale.