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Quinton Jefferson

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/11/25

October 11th, 2025 at 8:31pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations heading into the sixth Sunday of the NFL season:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Manu was ruled out for this week with a knee injury after making the first start of his career with Detroit. Unfortunately, he’ll miss the team’s next three games, as well, after being placed on injured reserve.

Wright will fill in as placekicker for the Titans in Week 6. Regular kicker Joey Slye has been ruled out with a calf injury after missing practice all week.

Avery in Cleveland and Walton in Carolina are both being called up as standard gameday practice squad elevations for the third time this year. If either of their respective teams want them to be active for another game, they will need to sign them to the 53-man roster.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/24/25

September 24th, 2025 at 8:17pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Commanders Host DE Preston Smith

September 16th, 2025 at 6:10pm CST by Ben Levine

The Commanders are eyeing an old friend for some help on the edge. Pass rusher Preston Smith visited the team today, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

[RELATED: Commanders DE Deatrich Wise Suffers Season-Ending Quad Injury]

A second-round pick in 2015, Smith spent the first four years of his career in Washington. He never truly lived up to his draft billing, although he didn’t miss a start between 2016 and 2018. His best statistical season with the franchise may have come in a limited role during his rookie campaign, when he compiled eight sacks and three forced fumbles. Over the next three years, Smith added another 16.5 sacks to his resume.

He joined the Packers ahead of the 2019 season and had his most productive year, finishing with 12 sacks and 23 QB hits. He ended up serving as a full-time starter for Green Bay through the 2023 season, with the pass rusher tallying 25.5 sacks between 2021 and 2023.

He started nine games for the Packers in 2024 before getting dealt midseason to the Steelers, where he served in a part-time role. He finished last season with 32 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He was released by Pittsburgh back in February and has spent the last seven months unsigned.

He could find his next opportunity where his career started. The Commanders need some help at defensive end after Deatrich Wise suffered a season-ending quad injury. Newcomers Jacob Martin and Von Miller will be asked to pick up some of the slack alongside Dorance Armstrong and Javontae Jean-Baptiste, but Smith would provide some additional veteran depth to the grouping.

Smith wasn’t the only veteran defender to audition for the Commanders today. Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson also visited the team today. Jefferson most recently split the 2024 campaign between the Browns and Bills, where he collected a pair of sacks.

Pete Carroll Addresses Christian Wilkins Decision; Latest On Raiders’ DT Plans

July 25th, 2025 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders continue to struggle at giving Maxx Crosby a reliable supporting cast. Christian Wilkins has followed Chandler Jones as a free agency miss, one that came as the team’s top-10 Tyree Wilson investment has yet to produce much of consequence. Wilkins is out despite having been attached to the second-most lucrative defensive tackle deal.

As a fight between the surprising castoff and the Raiders brews, the team did not view the high-priced D-lineman’s recovery path as being set to yield a near-future return. As a result, Las Vegas cut bait and will move into training camp without much invested at defensive tackle.

“We watched our way through the whole thing,” Pete Carroll said Friday, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore. “There was no clear path to his return. And so we just had to move on.”

The Raiders had given Wilkins a monster guarantee ($57MM at signing) despite the former first-round pick not delivering much in the way of pass-rushing production outside of an impressive 2023 contract year. Wilkins, though, had displayed dominance as a run defender in Miami and was PFR’s No. 4-ranked free agent last year.

The Dolphins had hesitated on a monster extension due to limited pass-rushing production from 2019-22; a nine-sack 2023 changed the team’s thinking but cap issues prevented a true effort to compete in that market last March. Wilkins is now in free agency again and fighting for the guaranteed money he received upon signing.

To land the biggest fish in last year’s pass-rushing market, the Raiders authorized three fully guaranteed years. That is a rare structure, but it showed the demand Wilkins created after escaping the franchise tag deadline untethered. With Chris Jones being taken off the market two days before the 2024 legal tampering period, Wilkins benefited as the top DT prize. The Raiders did not, seeing Wilkins go down five games into the season. The Wilkins signing affected the Raiders’ decision to fire GM Tom Telesco after one year.

If the Raiders cannot succeed in voiding Wilkins’ remaining guarantees, they would be on the hook for a staggering $74.95MM in dead money (split between 2025 and ’26) stemming from guarantees and deferred signing bonus money. That would trail only Russell Wilson‘s Broncos penalty in NFL history. The Raiders informed Wilkins of their attempt to void the remaining guarantees last month, per Bonsignore, though CBS Sports’ Joel Corry views Wilkins’ guarantees as difficult to void based on what is known about this situation. The team is attempting to use a disagreement on a surgical path as a springboard to voiding them.

On the field, the Raiders’ D-line looks less imposing — even if Wilkins was unlikely to start the season on time. The team does not appear to be aggressively pursuing outside help at D-tackle, with Carroll indicating a “wide open” internal competition would take place. Leki Fotu, Jonah Laulu and 2025 draftees Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues are competing to join the recently re-signed Adam Butler as prominent Raiders contributors inside following Wilkins’ release.

Finding a one-for-one replacement on Wilkins’ level is impossible at this juncture, but some notable free agents remain. Ex-Wilkins Dolphins teammate Raekwon Davis is among them, joining Linval Joseph, William Gholston, Quinton Jefferson, Montravius Adams and ex-Raider Maurice Hurst Jr.. Jefferson, who played with the Raiders in 2021 and enjoyed two stints under Carroll in Seattle (2016-19, 2022), also worked out for the team before the Wilkins release, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes.

The team also claimed DT Keondre Coburn off waivers from the Titans, Wilson adds. Not bringing experience that rivals Jefferson’s nine-season run, Coburn played in 15 Tennessee games — as a backup behind a strong D-line trio — last season. He is tied to a one-year, $1.03MM contract. The Chiefs drafted the 332-pound defender in the 2023 sixth round.

Jefferson, now 32, remains in free agency. A 62-game starter, Jefferson split time with the Browns and Bills last season. Seventeen of Jefferson’s starts came with the Raiders, while he added 27 more under Carroll as a Seahawk. Seattle released Jefferson during Carroll’s final offseason in charge.

Bills To Bring Back DT Quinton Jefferson

November 6th, 2024 at 9:26am CST by Sam Robinson

By cutting Quinton Jefferson before Tuesday’s trade deadline, the Browns allowed the veteran defensive lineman to avoid the waiver wire. Picking his next destination, Jefferson will choose one of his former teams.

The well-traveled defender will return to his 2020 club, with cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reporting the Bills are making an addition. Jefferson continued his nomadic career after a 2020 Buffalo one-off, but after Cleveland cut him Tuesday, he will fill one of the Bills’ open roster spots.

Buffalo cleared up a spot by putting defensive end Dawuane Smoot on IR. While Jefferson and Smoot’s skillsets do not overlap entirely, the former will still capitalize on an opportunity to jump from a 2-7 squad to the AFC-leading club that sits 7-2.

Jefferson, 31, had drifted to healthy-scratch status in Cleveland, seeing the Browns drop him out of their DT rotation after authorizing a one-year deal worth $4MM. The Browns shopped him but did not end up finding a trade partner. He will rejoin Ed Oliver in Buffalo’s DT corps, which also includes DaQuan Jones, Austin Johnson and Zion Logue.

This return comes three-plus years after the Bills released Jefferson. Buffalo had been the former Seattle draftee’s first free agency stop, signing him to a two-year, $13.5MM deal. Jefferson played all 16 games in 2020, logging four starts during the first of the Bills’ four Sean McDermott-era AFC East championship teams. After the release, Jefferson made his way to Las Vegas (2021), back to Seattle (’22) and to the Jets (’23).

Although Jefferson only tallied one sack in five games this season, he posted a career-high six with the Jets last year and finished with 5.5 during a return one-and-done with the Seahawks. He also combined for 42 QB hits from 2021-23, providing the Bills with some inside-rushing potential after they did not make a defensive addition at the deadline. Jones’ two sacks represent the most from a Bills D-lineman this season, as Oliver has not built on his 9.5-sack 2023; the former first-rounder has one to go with five QB hits through nine games.

Browns To Release DT Quinton Jefferson

November 5th, 2024 at 11:40am CST by Sam Robinson

Mentioned in trade rumors, Quinton Jefferson looks to have been unable to generate sufficient interest for the Browns. As a result, Cleveland will drop the veteran D-lineman.

The Browns will give Jefferson a chance to catch on elsewhere, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero indicating they are cutting him hours before today’s trade deadline. By doing so now, the Browns are allowing Jefferson to pass through waivers and straight to free agency. Had Cleveland waited until after the deadline to cut Jefferson, he would have been subject to waivers.

[RELATED: Browns Trade Za’Darius Smith To Lions]

This figures to mark yet another team change for the veteran defender, who has been with five franchises since 2020. Jefferson has moved from the Bills to the Raiders to the Seahawks to the Jets to the Browns. He has two Seattle stints on his resume but most recently chose Cleveland, signing a one-year, $4MM deal. The Browns will take on around $3MM in dead money by cutting Jefferson now.

It is not too surprising no team wanted to give up a draft asset for Jefferson, who has spent recent weeks inactive. Jefferson, 31, has not played since Week 5; the Browns have made him a healthy scratch for each of their past four games. While this stands to affect teams’ interest in the ninth-year veteran, Jefferson not driving a market could also benefit him due to the Browns agreeing to cut bait early.

Jefferson is not a stranger to releases, either. The Bills and Seahawks have cut him this decade, though both teams moved on during the offseason. Jefferson had signed two-year deals with Buffalo and Seattle, but following those releases, he managed to catch on elsewhere. For his career, Jefferson has worked as a 62-game starter. This includes a 14-game stretch for the Jets last season.

The Jets saw Jefferson produce a career-high six sacks under Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich; that came after the interior defender posted 5.5 during his Seahawks return. Jefferson tallied 13 QB hits in each of those slates. This season in Cleveland, he has one sack and two QB hits. The Browns have Dalvin Tomlinson, Shelby Harris, second-round pick Michael Hall and Maurice Hurst at DT. While they are open for business beyond a few cornerstone players, the Browns have moved on from one veteran piece without making a trade.

Trade Rumors: Jefferson, Tomlinson, Browns, 49ers, Broncos, Texans

October 31st, 2024 at 1:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the Amari Cooper swap, more Browns seller’s trades are expected. Za’Darius Smith has emerged as perhaps the top post-Cooper trade chip, but two members of their interior D-line profile as candidates to move. More definitively, Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline indicates the Browns will trade Quinton Jefferson if they receive an offer. The nomadic DT has not played since Week 5, with the Browns not receiving much in the way of production on a one-year, $4MM deal. Having played for five teams in the past five seasons (Bills, Raiders, Seahawks, Jets, Browns), Jefferson has been in a number of schemes and has experience at D-tackle and end. He may have drawn some interest already, and it does not sound like it will take much for a team to acquire the 31-year-old D-lineman.

One of the reasons Jefferson is not seeing the field, Dalvin Tomlinson remains the Browns’ lead DT. He is signed to a four-year, $57MM deal, and The Athletic’s Zac Jackson views Tomlinson and Smith as the most likely Browns to be moved at the Nov. 5 deadline. Being the Browns, void years on Tomlinson’s deal have the eighth-year veteran’s base salary at $1.2MM. That would make an acquisition appealing for a team, as Tomlinson has been productive in New York, Minnesota and Cleveland and does not have any guaranteed money due beyond 2024. Pro Football Focus ranked Tomlinson as a top-30 DT from 2017-22 and slots the 30-year-old 31st through eight games.

Here is the latest from the trade market:

Trade Rumors: Chiefs, Cooper, Browns, Jefferson, Bills, Eagles

October 22nd, 2024 at 5:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Reminding of the 2010s Patriots, the Chiefs have continued to pile up wins lacking in style points. They are the NFL’s lone unbeaten, though the two-time reigning Super Bowl champs’ plus-43 point differential — thanks to four one-score wins — is tied for seventh in the NFL. Kansas City has lost Rashee Rice for the season, and Marquise Brown is out for at least the full regular season. The team also lost JuJu Smith-Schuster on Sunday; the recently re-signed veteran aggravated a hamstring injury and will miss at least Week 8, Andy Reid said.

While the Chiefs do have an all-time great at tight end in Travis Kelce, albeit a 35-year-old version of the TE/podcast host/actor, they have not seen first-rounder Xavier Worthy develop into a consistent option. The team has used Mecole Hardman more, with Justin Watson and Skyy Moore reprised their 2023 roles as regulars Sunday due to the injuries. Although Kansas City keeps getting by — thanks largely to a stout defense — SI.com’s Albert Breer points to the team still being interested in adding a wideout.

The Chiefs have been linked to DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk recently but have not made a move. It will be interesting to see if an AFC team would be willing to help them construct a better threepeat bid. NFCer Cooper Kupp, however, is available — albeit for a second-round pick. With the deadline moved back a week (to Nov. 5) this year, here is more from the trade market:

  • Amari Cooper relocated to Buffalo last week, with the Browns — after having not extended the reliable veteran this offseason — dealing him to the Bills in a pick-swap trade headlined by a 2025 third-rounder. The Browns were planning to hang onto Cooper until closer to the deadline, according to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. In addition to Buffalo, two other teams were in on the former top-five pick, per Cabot, who adds the other suitors did not match the Bills’ aggression. Cooper did not expect to be dealt, and the Browns did not anticipate the Bills showing such strong interest. The 30-year-old pass catcher caught four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown in his Bills debut.
  • The Bills are not shutting the door on making another move to bolster their enduring Super Bowl quest. Bills GM Brandon Beane said during a Pat McAfee Show interview that Josh Allen‘s presence, despite the team’s cost-cutting moves this offseason, continues to keep the club “all in” toward a Super Bowl push. The eighth-year GM is open to more deals, though The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia indicates a lower-profile trade — potentially for a backup offensive lineman — could be the Cooper encore. Beane added the Browns showing cold feet on Cooper would have prompted the team to keep looking at receiver. Cooper’s presence rounds out Buffalo’s receiving corps, which has seen improvement from Khalil Shakir and some recent growth from rookie Keon Coleman.
  • Another Browns player drawing trade interest: veteran D-lineman Quinton Jefferson. Teams have asked about the recent free agent signing, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes. A productive but nomadic player, Jefferson has played for five teams over the past five years. The former Seahawks draftee has operated as a Browns backup, playing in five games and registering one sack. The Browns used void years to drop Jefferson’s cap hit to $1.2MM (on a one-year, $4MM deal), giving an acquiring team a minimal prorated sum to take on in the event of a trade. The Browns should be expected to move other pieces not essential to their 2025-and-beyond plans, but Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward are viewed as off the table.
  • The Eagles received a bounce-back effort from their pass rush Sunday, preying on Andrew Thomas‘ absence to sack Giants quarterbacks eight times. Jalen Carter and off-ball linebacker Nakobe Dean led the way with two apiece. Defensive ends accounted for the other four, but the edge group has started slowly. Big-ticket FA signing Bryce Huff has 1.5 sacks and just three QB hits in six games. Going into Week 7, Breer added the Eagles — rarely shy about trade talks under Howie Roseman — may be a team to monitor regarding a pass-rushing addition.

Browns To Add DL Quinton Jefferson

March 14th, 2024 at 8:25am CST by Sam Robinson

Losing Jordan Elliott to the 49ers this week, the Browns are adding a piece to their defensive line. In addition to bringing back Shelby Harris, Cleveland will add an outside hire to its D-line equation.

Quinton Jefferson will come over from the Jets on a one-year deal, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot. A veteran who has largely worked as a defensive tackle, Jefferson has enjoyed his two most productive years as a pass rusher since 2022. The eight-year veteran has combined for 11.5 sacks in that span.

[RELATED: Browns Re-Sign DT Shelby Harris]

This will be Jefferson’s fifth NFL destination in the 2020s. The former Seahawks draftee has ventured from Buffalo to Las Vegas to Seattle to New York since the decade dawned. He will now join Jim Schwartz‘s Cleveland defense, which led the league against the pass in 2023. Jefferson is set to team with the likes of Harris and high-priced DT Dalvin Tomlinson.

The Jets brought in former Robert Saleh 49ers charge Javon Kinlaw early in free agency, and Jefferson — as he is accustomed to doing — will take his routine to another city. Vacillating from starter to rotational player during this nomadic period, Jefferson has produced consistently. After notching 16 quarterback hits as a Raider in 2021, the former fifth-round pick totaled 13 in each of the past two seasons. Jefferson, 31 this month, also forced a fumble with the Jets last year; the six sacks he notched in New York represent a career high.

Jefferson has extensive experience contributing on playoff-bound D-lines. While the Jets fell well short of expectations, Jefferson was on a postseason-bound team from 2018-22. He sacked Joe Burrow in the Raiders’ narrow wild-card loss to the Bengals in 2021 and totaled two sacks during the 2019 playoffs as a Seahawk.

While Jefferson has traveled the league following the expiration of his rookie contract, he has not signed exclusively one-year deals like Jadeveon Clowney has. The Seahawks released Jefferson from a two-year pact last year, leading him to the Jets. His work in Saleh’s defense caught the Browns’ eye, bringing in an interesting piece for Schwartz’s pass rush.

Jets Place DL Quinton Jefferson On IR

December 19th, 2023 at 7:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Quinton Jefferson is done for the season. The Jets have placed the veteran defensive tackle on injured reserve, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. To fill the open roster spot, the Jets have signed defensive lineman Jalyn Holmes to the active roster.

Jefferson will miss the rest of the campaign with a hip issue. It’s uncertain exactly when the defensive lineman suffered the injury, but he was limited to a season-low 11 defensive snaps this past weekend.

The 30-year-old joined the Jets this past offseason on a one-year deal. He ended up starting all 14 of his appearances with his new squad, compiling a career-high 6.5 sacks to go along with 34 tackles and one forced fumble. Pro Football Focus only graded Jefferson 96th among 132 qualifying interior defenders, although the site did give him a positive grade for his pass rushing.

The former fifth-round pick has had multiple stints with the Seahawks over the years, including a 17-game run with the organization in 2022. In 103 career games, Jefferson has compiled 26.5 sacks.

Holmes joined the Jets back in August before ultimately earning a spot on the practice squad. He’s earned a pair of promotions this season, collecting a single tackle in two games. The former fourth-round pick got into 25 games with the Vikings through his first three seasons in the NFL.

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