Minor NFL Transactions: 12/2/25
Several NFL teams made minor roster on Tuesday as they prepare for crucial Week 14 games with major playoff implications. Here are the latest updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed off Vikings’ practice squad: RB Corey Kiner
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: CB Kalen King
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DT Sam Kamara
- Placed on IR: DT Maliek Collins (story)
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: CB Terrion Arnold (story)
Houston Texans
- Signed from practice squad: CB Ameer Speed
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: LB Jamin Davis
- Signed from practice squad: CB Greedy Vance
New York Giants
- Waived: OLB Tomon Fox
New York Jets
- Waived (with injury settlement): DE Byron Cowart
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: RB Myles Gaskin
Lions Rumors: St. Brown, Mahogany, Joseph
After a crushing loss to the NFC North rival Packers on Thanksgiving, the Lions are 7-5 and sitting outside of the playoff bracket with five games left in their season. This Thursday’s matchup against the 6-5-1 Cowboys will take on a postseason feel for a pair of teams that can’t afford many more slip-ups (if any).
The Lions may face an uphill climb this week if they go without No. 1 wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who suffered a low ankle sprain against the Packers. It seemed likely St. Brown would miss some time when he sustained the injury. However, head coach Dan Campbell said Tuesday that he has not ruled St. Brown out for Week 14, per Dave Birkett and Rainer Sabin of the Detroit Free Press.
While St. Brown may play, fellow receiver Kalif Raymond is likely to miss his second game in a row with an ankle injury. That leaves Jameson Williams, rookie third-rounder Isaac TeSlaa, and Tom Kennedy as their top healthy options at the position.
The Lions’ injury issues at receiver are especially unfortunate after standout tight end Sam LaPorta underwent back surgery in November. LaPorta is unlikely to return this season, and backup Brock Wright could also miss significant time as a result of an injury to his trachea, Campbell revealed (via Birkett).
Wright isn’t much of a receiving threat, having averaged fewer than 20 catches per season since entering the league in 2021. He has amassed 401 offensive snaps this year, though, and a lengthy absence would leave the Lions perilously thin at tight end. Ross Dwelley and Anthony Firkser are next on the depth chart.
In better news for Detroit’s offense, left guard Christian Mahogany said he fully expects to return during the regular season after going down with a knee injury in Week 9. After mostly working as a backup in 2024, his rookie year, Mahogany started in his first eight appearances this season. Pro Football Focus ranks his performance a solid 30th among 79 qualifying guards. With Mahogany on IR, reserve Kayode Awosika has temporarily taken on a starting role.
Defensively, the Lions have been without key cog Kerby Joseph since Week 6. A nagging knee injury will keep the 2024 first-team All-Pro safety out of his seventh straight game on Thursday, though it’s not a “career-altering” issue, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports. Joseph intends to play again this season, but it’s unclear when that will happen.
Thomas Harper, claimed from the Raiders in late August, has been filling for Joseph alongside Brian Branch. Harper has recorded 26 tackles, four passes defensed, and an interception in nine games. The 25-year-old has impressed PFF, which places him 24th among 93 qualifying safeties.
The banged-up Lions lost another member of their secondary when they put starting cornerback Terrion Arnold on IR on Monday. Arnold will undergo surgery on his shoulder. He first hurt his shoulder back in early October, and Campbell confirmed the same injury continued bothering him (via Eric Woodyard of ESPN). That led Detroit to shut Arnold down for good.
Lions CB Terrion Arnold Done For Season
5:30pm: Arnold will indeed not return this season, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The cornerback is set to undergo shoulder surgery that will end his season prematurely.
5:03pm: Terrion Arnold is in line to miss further time in 2025. The second-year cornerback has been placed on injured reserve by the Lions, per Monday’s transactions wire. 
A shoulder injury has resulted in this move, one which will leave Arnold sidelined for at least four games. The Lions have five contests remaining in their regular season schedule. This news will deal another blow to the team’s secondary, a unit which has dealt with a slew of injuries over the course of the year.
Arnold has been limited to just eight games in 2025. The former first-rounder returned to action in time for Detroit’s Thanksgiving game after recovering from a concussion. Prior to that, Arnold dealt with a shoulder ailment which at one point threatened to cost him the remainder of the season. If he is to play again in 2025, another recovery process will need to be completed.
The Lions recently activated D.J. Reed and Khalil Dorsey from IR, giving them options at the cornerback spot. Shortly thereafter, veteran Arthur Maulet was waived. With Arnold now once again in store for an extended absence, it will be interesting to see if Maulet is brought back or if another move is explored. Detroit (7-5) sits 17th in the league in passing yards allowed per game.
Arnold served as a full-time starter during his rookie season, nothing 10 pass deflections along the way. The Alabama product has logged seven starts in 2025, but his snap share has dropped considerably (65% compared to 91% last year). Arnold has not developed as hoped in coverage, although his absence will still be felt as the Lions continue to deal with injuries in the secondary. The team will look to reach the playoffs with a strong finish to the season, and if that takes place Arnold could be available based on his recovery timeline.
Lions Waive CB Arthur Maulet
The Lions are cutting cornerback Arthur Maulet, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Maulet will be free to sign anywhere if he clears waivers.
After combining for 85 appearances and 23 starts with five NFL teams from 2017-24, Maulet joined the Lions’ practice squad on Oct. 8. The Lions were dealing with injuries to cornerbacks D.J. Reed, Terrion Arnold, and Khalil Dorsey when they scooped up Maulet.
Four days after joining the Lions’ taxi squad, Maulet debuted with the team in a Week 6 loss to the Chiefs. He went on to appear in five more games before the Lions cut him.
Over 170 snaps with Detroit (105 on defense, 65 on special teams), the 32-year-old totaled 14 tackles, one pass defensed, and an interception. Maulet’s pick, the fifth of his career, came against Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield in a Week 7 victory.
The Lions activated Reed and Dorsey from IR last Saturday, leading to a reduction in playing time for Maulet on Sunday. He picked up just five defensive snaps in a win over the Giants. Arnold has missed back-to-back games with a concussion, but he could return on Thanksgiving against the Packers, per Richard Silva of the Detroit News. If so, the Lions would have a full complement of healthy corners with Arnold rejoining Reed, Dorsey, Amik Robertson, and Rock Ya-Sin among their top five options.
Lions Designate CB D.J. Reed, DE Marcus Davenport To Return From IR
The Lions are designating cornerback D.J. Reed and defensive end Marcus Davenport to return from injured reserve, per Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers. Both defenders are expected to practice with the team on Wednesday.
Reed landed on IR at the beginning of October due to a strained hamstring. He signed in Detroit this offseason and was off to an excellent start with his new team. Through four games, he allowed receptions on only eight of his 16 targets with four passes defended, putting him on pace for the best season of his career. Rock Ya-Sin has seen an increase in playing time in Reed’s absence and will likely return to a backup role upon his return. However, Terrion Arnold is dealing with a concussion, so Ya-Sin could still start this week even if Reed is ready to play.
Davenport suffered a Week 2 injury for the second year in a row. In 2024, it was a season-ending elbow injury, but he avoided disaster this time with a pectoral strain. The veteran defensive lineman has taken longer to return than the four-game minimum stay on IR, but he could be a late-season boost to the Lions’ pass rush.
The team has 30 sacks on the season, which ranks fourth in the league, though most of that production has come from four players. Edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad both have eight sacks, while linebackers Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes have chipped in four apiece. Davenport will add some depth on the edge and potentially allow defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard to come up with some more creative pressure packages.
Colts, Lions Seeking Cornerback Help
With the Nov. 4 trade deadline approaching, a couple of the NFL’s top teams are interested in bolstering their secondaries. The 7-1 Colts and 5-2 Lions are making calls for cornerback help, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.
Although the Colts own the league’s best record, their success has come despite a depleted cornerback group. Their issues at the position began when they lost third-round rookie Justin Walley to a season-ending ACL tear in August. He had been pushing for a starting role alongside No. 1 corner Charvarius Ward and slot CB Kenny Moore.
Walley’s injury led the Colts to sign veteran Xavien Howard, but that didn’t yield positive results. He abruptly retired after a rough showing over the Colts’ first four games.
Adding to the Colts’ problems, they placed Jaylon Jones on IR with a hamstring injury after Week 1 and sent Ward to the shelf with a concussion after Week 6. The team has continued to win without them, though, and could get both players back soon.
The Colts opened Jones’ 21-day practice window on Oct. 22, which should lead to a return in the near future. Ward, meanwhile, has missed two games and is only required to sit out two more. He’ll be eligible to rejoin Indy’s secondary after a Week 11 bye.
With Ward and Jones unavailable, the Colts have been relying on the relatively untested group of Mekhi Blackmon, undrafted rookie Johnathan Edwards, Chris Lammons, and Cameron Mitchell to pick up the slack. While defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo‘s unit has persevered to allow the league’s sixth-fewest points per game (19.3), Indianapolis ranks a much less encouraging 28th against the pass.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard reportedly wants to acquire a “proven defensive playmaker,” an addition that could come in the secondary before the deadline.
The AFC South rival Titans traded corner Roger McCreary to the Rams on Monday, taking him off the board, but the Saints’ Alontae Taylor, the Seahawks’ Riq Woolen, and the Bengals’ Cam Taylor-Britt are among other names that have surfaced in the rumor mill. Taylor-Britt played under Anarumo, then Cincinnati’s D-coordinator, from 2022-24.
Any of Taylor, Woolen, or Taylor-Britt could also appeal to the Lions, who have joined the Colts in dealing with multiple injuries to notable cornerbacks. Starters D.J. Reed, a big-ticket offseason signing, and Terrion Arnold have been out of commission for the past few weeks.
Reed went on IR with a hamstring injury on Oct. 1. He’ll be eligible to return in Week 10, though it’s unclear if that will happen. Arnold last played on Oct. 5, but he’s making progress in his recovery from a shoulder injury. Head coach Dan Campbell said that Arnold will return to practice on Tuesday (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).
Despite the absences of Reed, Arnold, and Avonte Maddox (hamstring), the Lions stymied Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and a banged-up receiving corps in Week 7. Amik Robertson, Nick Whiteside, Arthur Maulet, and Rock Ya-Sin led Lions corners in snaps in a 24-9 win.
Detroit is getting healthier coming out of its bye week, which could give general manager Brad Holmes less urgency to swing a trade in the coming days. However, Holmes is at least doing his due diligence with just over a week left until the deadline.
Lions CB Terrion Arnold To Return ‘Sooner Than Expected’
12:40 p.m.: Lions head coach Dan Campbell threw some lukewarm water on expectations for Arnold’s return after the latest injury news, per ESPN’s Eric Woodyard.
Campbell said that the second opinion on his young cornerback’s shoulder seems like a positive development, but is still uncertain about a precise timeline.
10:04 a.m.: Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold is expected to return “sooner than expected” from a shoulder injury that was originally thought to sideline him for a significant amount of time, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
There were even fears that Arnold could miss the rest of the season, but that is no longer a concern. The second-year corner sought a second opinion on his injury, which revealed that he would not need surgery, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He could even return this month.
Arnold’s return will be important for a depleted Detroit secondary. He struggled to start the year and saw his snap share decrease in Week 4, but D.J. Reed‘s injury pressed him back into a more prominent role in the next game. Reed will be out for at least three more games while he is on injured reserve, and Ennis Rakestraw was declared out for the season during training camp. Depth cornerback Khalil Dorsey will also miss time with a wrist injury, per Justin Rogers of Detroit Football Network.
As a result, Arnold cannot get back on the field soon enough. Rock Ya-Sin will be one of Detroit’s starting cornerbacks moving forward, while Amik Robertson will likely play on the boundary in base formations and flip into the slot for nickel and dime packages. That will require another outside cornerback for those latter looks, but the Lions have no clear answer on their roster. Former Eagle Avonte Maddox has primarily lined up in the slot in his career and as a free safety this season. Veteran Tre Flowers is likely Detroit’s best option. He played in their last game and will likely be elevated or promoted from the practice squad for Week 6.
Lions CB Terrion Arnold To Miss Time
OCTOBER 7: Arnold’s injury could end his season, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (video link). He adds additional opinions are being sought out at this point. More clarity could emerge soon in this case as a result.
OCTOBER 6: The Lions’ depth at the cornerback spot has taken another hit. Detroit is already without Ennis Rakestraw and D.J. Reed, and Terrion Arnold is now sidelined as well.
When speaking to the media on Monday, head coach Dan Campbell said Arnold will be out for “a while” due to a shoulder injury (video link). It is unclear at this point if the ailment will prove to be season-ending. In any case, losing Arnold for an extended period will deal a notable blow to Detroit’s’ secondary.
[RELATED: Lions Among Suitors For Tre Hawkins]
Rakestraw landed on injured reserve this summer, meaning his 2025 campaign was over before it started. Reed, meanwhile, was moved to IR last week as a result of a hamstring injury. Reed will miss at least the next three games. Even when he comes back, though, depth at the cornerback spot will be an issue provided Arnold’s absence lasts as long as the team fears it will.
The 2024 first-rounder logged over 900 snaps as a rookie, and he remained a starter on the perimeter to begin the current campaign. Arnold was in line to have his workload reduced, but the Reed injury made it difficult to keep him off the field. Now, both of the Lions’ projected boundary starters will be unavailable for the time being. Rakestraw’s absence will be acutely felt since he would have been a candidate to take on a notable role in the wake of these other injuries.
Nevertheless, the 4-1 Lions will be tasked with moving forward without several key players at the CB spot. Amik Robertson could find himself in a full-time role on the outside despite being best suited to the slot. Rock Ya-Sin, Tre Flowers and Avonte Maddox are also in the fold at this point; some or each of them could be in store for a notable uptick in workload through the remainder of the campaign.
The Lions entered Monday with over $26MM in cap space. Finances will therefore not be an issue if one or more cornerback additions are to be pursued in the near future.
Lions Place D.J. Reed On IR
The Lions will have to go at least the next four games without starting cornerback D.J. Reed. The team placed Reed on injured reserve on Wednesday. While Reed will not require surgery on his strained hamstring (via Eric Woodyard of ESPN), he won’t be eligible to return until Nov. 9 against the Commanders.
Considering Reed was carted off the field in the Lions’ win over the Browns last Sunday, his IR placement doesn’t come as a surprise. Nevertheless, it’s an unwelcome development for Detroit, which added the former Seahawk, 49er, and Jet on a three-year, $48MM contract in free agency last March. Injury aside, the investment has looked good so far.
During his first four games as a Lion, Reed played over 88 percent of defensive snaps and helped the team to a 3-1 start. Along with leading all Lions corners in playing time, Reed posted 16 tackles, four passes defensed, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Pro Football Focus ranks his early season performance 28th among 164 qualifying corners.
Before Reed went down, the Lions had been set to reduce fellow outside corner Terrion Arnold‘s usage. Arnold then joined Reed in suffering an injury last week, though he was able to practice on a limited basis Wednesday despite a shoulder issue (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). Arnold, Amik Robertson, Khalil Dorsey, and Rock Ya-Sin will now have to pick up the slack in Reed’s absence.
The Lions’ schedule over the next few weeks looks like a mixed bag. Their Reed-less secondary will take on Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning on Sunday, but they’ll have to contend with the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield in the two weeks after that. After a bye, the Lions will face the division-rival Vikings and either J.J. McCarthy or Carson Wentz on Nov. 2.
Lions Could Move CB D.J. Reed To IR
The Lions saw cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and D.J. Reed suffer injuries yesterday. The former does not appear to be in line for an extended absence, but the latter could find himself on injured reserve.
Arnold suffered a shoulder injury on Sunday, although head coach Dan Campbell said (via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network) he does not anticipate a lengthy spell on the sidelines. That will be welcomed news even with Arnold’s struggles early this season and the resultant plan to lower his playing time. Such a setup may need to be put on hold for now.
Reed was carted off the field with a hamstring injury. Based on Campbell’s post-game remarks, Rapoport notes a move to IR could be in store in this case. That would ensure at least a four-week absence for Reed; it would also leave Detroit without a perimeter starter for an extended period.
During the offseason, the Lions expectedly lost Carlton Davis on the open market. Detroit took the free agent route to bring in Reed on a pact similar in length and value (three years, $48MM) to the one Davis landed with the Patriots. Arnold and fellow returnee Amik Robertson have been key figures in the secondary to date, and that will of course remain the case moving forward. Still, losing Reed for any notable period will mark a blow to Detroit’s secondary.
The 28-year-old has served as a full-time starter with his newest team, collecting four pass deflections early on. Reed also notched his first interception of the season shortly before suffering the injury. Further testing in his case will be worth watching closely, as it will inform the Lions’ decision with respect to an IR move taking place or being avoided.
The plan for reducing Arnold’s usage was aimed at giving Robertson more time on the boundary as opposed to the slot. If Reed winds up missing considerable game action, Robertson may be forced to handle a full-time role on the perimeter opposite Arnold (presuming, of course, he does not wind up being sidelined for an extended period). In any case, defensive adjustments will likely be necessary as the Lions look to build off their strong start.