Kerby Joseph Could Land On IR After Setback
Safety Kerby Joseph was among the Lions’ many standouts during a 15-win season in 2024. After Joseph intercepted an NFL-best nine passes and earned first-team All-Pro honors, the Lions awarded him a record-setting extension worth $86MM over four years.
Detroit was a top-tier team last year, but it hasn’t experienced nearly as much success this season. At 8-5, the Lions are just outside the NFC playoff picture. Various key injuries, including to Joseph, have contributed to the Lions’ decline.
Joseph sustained a knee injury in a Week 6 loss to the Chiefs on Oct. 12. Although Joseph has missed seven straight games since then, the Lions haven’t put him on injured reserve. However, that may change soon. Joseph suffered a setback in practice this week and “could be” an IR candidate, head coach Dan Campbell said (via Tim Twentyman of the team’s website).
With four games left, an IR placement would end Joseph’s regular season. He’d be eligible to return during the playoffs, but the Lions would first have to earn a spot for that to matter.
Joseph’s ongoing injury issues mean Detroit will have to continue without either member of its all-world safety tandem. Brian Branch is done for the year after suffering a torn Achilles in a win over the Cowboys in Week 14.
Down their two best safeties, the Lions are set to face old friend Matthew Stafford and the Rams’ explosive passing attack on Sunday. That’s the last major test of the season for Detroit’s secondary, which will take on Pittsburgh, Minnesota, and Chicago over the final three weeks. The Bears’ passing game ranks a middle-of-the-road 16th, while the Steelers (27th) and Vikings (28th) check in toward the bottom of the league in that category.
It flew under the radar in the wake of Branch’s catastrophic injury, but fellow safety Thomas Harper left the Dallas game early with a concussion. Harper’s questionable for Week 15, but Campbell is optimistic he’ll suit up. Claimed off waivers from the Raiders in August, Harper has been a terrific scrapheap pickup for the Lions. With 27 tackles, four passes defensed, and an interception in 10 games (seven starts), Harper has helped fill Joseph’s void. Pro Football Focus ranks him 23rd among 90 qualifying safeties this year.
If Harper clears concussion protocol, he’ll continue filling an important role on Sunday. Campbell pointed to Avonte Maddox, Erick Hallett, and Daniel Thomas as other safety options “getting valuable reps” in practice. While Campbell insists he’s confident in that group, it’s fair to say he’d rather have Joseph and Branch patrolling the Lions’ defensive backfield.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/29/25
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Claimed off waivers (from Rams): S Thomas Harper
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Eli Pancol
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed from practice squad: TE Robert Tonyan
New England Patriots
- Claimed off waivers (from Bengals): DT Eric Gregory
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Gunner Olszewski
- Placed on IR: CB Rico Payton
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: G Willie Lampkin
- Waived (with injury settlement): CB Tariq Castro-Fields
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Brandon Johnson
Tennessee Titans
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Matt Landers
Free Agent
- Suspended: DT Tyler Manoa
Manoa will be suspended for the first two weeks of the season, if he lands with an NFL squad. While details of the suspension have not been disclosed, it may be linked to an incident that led to him being kicked out of Allegiant Stadium in the spring after some alleged property damage.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/25
As rosters continue to be sorted out, here are Thursday’s minor moves around the NFL:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LS Scott Daly, WR Devin Duvernay
- Waived: LB Carl Jones Jr.
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: DT Eric Gregory
Dallas Cowboys
- Claimed off waivers (from Eagles): OL Trevor Keegan
- Waived: WR Ryan Flournoy
Las Vegas Raiders
- Claimed off waivers (from Eagles): S Tristin McCollum
- Waived: S Thomas Harper
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: S Richie Grant
- Waived: DT Evan Anderson
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: S D’Anthony Bell
Raiders Work Out Terrell Edmunds, Expect Lonnie Johnson Jr. To Return During Season
Already authorizing significant changes in their secondary after losing the likes of Tre’von Moehrig, Nate Hobbs and Marcus Epps in free agency, the Raiders will see one of their imports sidelined for a while.
Lonnie Johnson Jr. sustained a broken fibula during a weekend scrimmage, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore. Although Johnson has not started a game since 2021, the former second-round pick had been a key backup during a journeyman career. He had also been seeing regular time with the Raiders’ top defense, moving to safety when Jeremy Chinn would slide into the slot in sub-packages.
This represented a bump for Johnson, who has combined to play 300 defensive snaps over the past three seasons, but this is not viewed as a season-ending injury. Pete Carroll said (via Bonsignore) a genuine belief exists Johnson will be able to return this season, “sooner rather than later.” Yes, Carroll was known as rather optimistic regarding injuries during his Seahawks tenure, but Johnson having a chance to return from a broken leg in-season is certainly notable news for the Las Vegas secondary.
Johnson, 29, has played for four teams over the past four seasons. That does not include a nonplaying stint with the Chiefs, who acquired him via trade in 2022. Johnson spent three years with the Texans before migrating to the Titans (2022), Saints (2023) and Panthers (’24). The Raiders added him on a one-year, $1.69MM deal that came with just $175K guaranteed.
The small guarantee would give the Raiders a minimal dead money penalty to move on after this injury, but for now, Johnson does not appear likely to be cut as a result of this major setback. The Raiders can either use one of their allotted two IR-return designations before setting their 53-man roster to stash Johnson, but such a move would count against the team’s eight-activation total. The other option would be carrying Johnson through to their 53-man roster and then placing him on IR, retaining some flexibility in the event the team passes on using an injury activation on the nomadic DB during the season.
The Raiders will need some help at safety, even in a depth role. On that note, Terrell Edmunds stopped through Las Vegas for a Tuesday workout, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Edmunds, 28, has drifted off the starter track since a five-year Steelers stint (75 starts) ended after the 2022 season. While Edmunds made it back to Pittsburgh for a 2024 cameo, he had since been primarily a backup with the Eagles, Titans and Jaguars.
Vegas signed Chinn to work as a starter and re-signed Isaiah Pola-Mao to do the same. Thomas Harper and Christopher Smith filled in for Johnson after the injury, per Bonsignore. Smith is a 2023 fifth-round pick, while Harper — a 2024 Chargers UDFA — joined the Raiders via waiver claim last August.
Raiders Waive DT Byron Young
The Raiders moved on from a recent draft pick today. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the team has waived 2023 third-round defensive tackle Byron Young. The team also signed cornerback Darnay Holmes, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The team wasn’t done adding, as the Raiders claimed defensive tackle Jonah Laulu off waivers from the Colts and safety Thomas Harper off waivers from the Chargers, according to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez.
Following a standout college career at Alabama, Young was selected by the Raiders with the No. 70 pick in the 2023 draft. He barely saw the field as a rookie, appearing in only 99 defensive snaps in six games. Still, after having to start his first training camp on PUP, there was hope he’d take a step forward with a full offseason program. Instead, the defensive lineman will have to resume his career elsewhere.
He’ll be replaced on the roster by Laulu, who was cut by the Colts yesterday. The rookie seventh-round pick split his college career between Hawaii and Oklahoma. The team also added Harper, a UDFA out of Oklahoma State University and Notre Dame.
Holmes’ stint with the Giants came to an end earlier this week. The former fourth-round pick had spent his entire career in New York, starting 11 of his 54 appearances. Despite getting into a career-high 16 games in 2023, the cornerback was limited to a career-low 123 defensive snaps. He re-signed with the organization this past offseason, but he didn’t end up making it through final cuts with the Giants.
In more corresponding moves, the team waived rookie CB M.J. Devonshire and placed CB Brandon Facyson on injured reserve (per Gutierrez). Facyson was at one time competing for the team’s CB2 role, but the cornerback was sidelined for most of the preseason with an undisclosed injury. The former UDFA was limited to only three appearances with the Raiders in 2023, but he had 55 tackles during his first stint with the organization in 2021.
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 Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders moves are noted below.
Denver Broncos
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- RB Tyler Badie, WR Michael Bandy, FB Michael Burton, G Nick Gargiulo, DE Matt Henningsen, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, DB Tanner McCalister, NT Jordan Miller, CB Quinton Newsome, TE Donald Parham, G William Sherman, WR David Sills, CB Reese Taylor, G Calvin Throckmorton, OLB Dondrea Tillman, TE Thomas Yassmin
Kansas City Chiefs
Signed:
Claimed:
- CB Eric Scott Jr.
Waived:
- CB Nic Jones
Signed to practice squad:
- S Deon Bush, TE Baylor Cupp, WR Justyn Ross, QB Bailey Zappe
Las Vegas Raiders
Signed:
Claimed:
- DB Thomas Harper, DT Jonah Laulu
Waived:
- DT Byron Young
Placed on IR:
Signed to practice squad:
- DE David Agoha, WR Alex Bachman, QB Carter Bradley, G Ben Brown, DT Matthew Butler, WR Jalen Guyton, RB Sincere McCormick, C Will Putnam, S Phalen Sanford, TE John Samuel Shenker, DE Charles Snowden, T Dalton Wagner, CB Sam Webb, WR Kristian Wilkerson
Los Angeles Chargers
Signed:
Claimed:
Waived:
- DB JT Woods
Signed to practice squad:
- OLB Andrew Farmer, LB Shaquille Quarterman
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.