Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order
Week 12 saw the Giants become the first team in the NFL to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Based on Sunday’s results, another two teams from each conference saw their postseason chances officially come to an end.
The Titans, Saints, Raiders and Cardinals have now been eliminated as well. Attention in the case of those teams will increasingly turn toward the offseason. For some, questions about changes at the quarterback spot will be ongoing through the spring. Free agency is not expected to include many notable options, so the draft will be sought out in several instances as a means of finding a 2026 starter.
Of course, the incoming class of passers has largely underwhelmed this season. That has led to uncertainty regarding the ceiling for many of the top prospects at the quarterback position. Nevertheless, supply often outweighs demand at the top of the Day 1 order in the NFL draft. How things shake out over the closing weeks of the season will be key in determining which QB-needy teams find themselves in the best position to select a new QB1.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.
Here is an early look at the first-round order:
- Tennessee Titans (1-11)
- New York Giants (2-11)
- New Orleans Saints (2-10)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)
- Cleveland Browns (3-9)
- Washington Commanders (3-9)
- New York Jets (3-9)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-9)
- Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
- Minnesota Vikings (4-8)
- Miami Dolphins (5-7)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-6)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6)
- Carolina Panthers (7-6)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1)
- Detroit Lions (7-5)
- Houston Texans (7-5)
- Baltimore Ravens (6-6)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)
- Buffalo Bills (8-4)
- Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)
- New York Jets (via Colts)
- San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
- Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
- Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
- Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
- Seattle Seahawks (9-3)
- Los Angeles Rams (9-3)
- Denver Broncos (10-2)
- Chicago Bears (9-3)
- New England Patriots (11-2)
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/29/25
Here are Saturday’s minor moves around the NFL, including gameday elevations for the remainder of Week 13:
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: WR Deven Thompkins
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from IR: OL Tylan Grable
- Elevated: TE Keleki Latu, LB Baylon Spector
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: DT Sam Kamara
Houston Texans
- Elevated: CB Ameer Speed
- Placed on IR: CB Ajani Carter
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: DE Chris Wormley
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: DE Matt Dickerson, S Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: OL Atonio Mafi, CB Greedy Vance
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed from practice squad: RB Jaret Patterson
- Waived: OL Foster Sarell
- Elevated: RB Trayveon Williams
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: CB Dwight McGlothern Jr., QB John Wolford
New York Jets
- Elevated: DE Eric Watts, DB Jordan Clark
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: K Matt Gay, LB Jalen Graham
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed from practice squad: RB Myles Gaskin
- Placed on IR: RB George Holani
- Elevated: S Quandre Diggs, RB Velus Jones
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed from practice squad: QB Connor Bazelak
- Waived: RB Owen Wright
- Elevated: S Marcus Banks
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: WR Xavier Restrepo, CB Kemon Hall
The Vikings brought back Desmond Ridder as quarterback insurance with J.J. McCarthy concussed. Ridder joined the team’s practice squad, and he will not dress for Minnesota tomorrow. Instead, it will be Wolford handling backup duties while undrafted rookie Max Brosmer makes his first career start.
Diggs returned to Seattle earlier this week. The veteran will receive the opportunity to play right away during his second stint with the Seahawks. Diggs earned three Pro Bowl nods during his first run in Seattle, and he will look to provide depth in the secondary with a familiar team down the stretch.
Titans Sign CB Kaiir Elam
A few days after the Cowboys released Kaiir Elam, the cornerback has found a new team. The Titans are signing Elam, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports.
The Cowboys moved on from Elam on Saturday, which was a disappointing result after they acquired him from the Bills in May. The Bills parted with Elam three years after trading up to draft him 23rd overall in 2022.
The former Florida Gator struggled to live up to his first-round status during a 29-game, 12-start tenure with the Bills. The only two regular-season interceptions of Elam’s career came during his rookie campaign.
The hope was that a fresh start in Dallas would benefit Elam, but it didn’t work out that way. While Elam started in seven of 10 appearances with the Cowboys, he had difficulty as part of one of the league’s worst-ranked pass defenses.
Opposing quarterbacks posted a 105.0 rating when they targeted Elam. He was charged with giving up 25 completions, 372 yards, and three touchdowns. Elam began losing playing time as a result. He didn’t play a single defensive snap in what proved to be his last game with the Cowboys, a Week 11 win over the Raiders.
After going through waivers unclaimed, Elam drew interest from the Jets, who hosted him on Tuesday. He’ll instead attempt to break through with the 1-10 Titans, owners of the league’s worst record.
The Titans have gone over a month without starting corner L’Jarius Sneed, who’s on IR with a quad injury. They also lost Roger McCreary and Jarvis Brownlee in trades earlier this season. Those in-season changes have left Jalyn Armour-Davis, Darrell Baker, and Marcus Harris as their main options at the position. That group will now welcome in Elam.
To make room for Elam, the Titans waived corner Samuel Womack, per Jim Wyatt of the team’s website. Womack started in eight of 17 games during a two-interception showing with the 49ers in 2024, but they waived him last August. The Colts claimed Womack before quickly waiving him. The Titans claimed him in late August, and he wound up appearing in five of their games this season. Womack played 91 snaps (54 on defense, 37 on special teams) and made four tackles.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/25/25
Tuesday’s practice squad updates from around the NFL…
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: QB Sean Clifford
Detroit Lions
- Signed: S Erick Hallett
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Cameron Mitchell
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DL Boogie Basham
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: OL Wyatt Bowles
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Jimmy Ciarlo
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: CB Shemar Bartholomew
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Bill Murray
- Released: RB Jonathan Ward
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Samori Toure, RB Ian Wheeler, K Cade York (story)
- Released: WR Jha’Quan Jackson, LB Eku Leota
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Myles Purchase
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DE Anthony Goodlow, WR Cornell Powell
- Released: DB Daequan Hardy, LB Mark Robinson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OT Chandler Brewer
- Released: WR Kristian Wilkerson
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/22/25
Here are Week 12’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations for the Sunday slate tomorrow:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed from practice squad: CB Darren Hall
- Elevated: TE Pharaoh Brown, LB Channing Tindall
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: LB Chandler Martin, CB Amani Oruwariye
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: RB Gary Brightwell, CB Jalen Davis
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: QB Bailey Zappe
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: LB Jamon Johnson, RB Pierre Strong
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed from practice squad: S Tanner Ingle
- Elevated: LB Elias Neal, WR Brennan Presley
New England Patriots
- Elevated: DT Jeremiah Pharms
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: WR Dante Pettis, G William Sherman
New York Giants
- Activated from reserve/PUP: RB Eric Gray
- Elevated: LB Swayze Bozeman, WR Dalen Cambre
- Placed on IR: TE Thomas Fidone II
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball
- Waived: LB Ja’Markis Weston
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: LB Patrick O’Connell, LB Jamie Sheriff
- Placed on IR: WR Tory Horton (story)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: S Marcus Banks
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: RB Kalel Mullings
- Elevated: WR Xavier Restrepo
There hasn’t been much of an update since it was reported that rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel was going through the league’s concussion protocol. He was able to get some limited practice time in yesterday, but he hasn’t yet been cleared. With Gabriel’s status up in the air, Zappe is getting called up in case he’s needed to back up the new starting rookie, Shedeur Sanders.
O’Connell and Sheriff are getting called up with linebackers Tyrice Knight out with a concussion and Ernest Jones questionable with a knee injury. This will be O’Connell’s third and final practice squad elevation, so if the Seahawks wants to see him play again this year, they will need to sign him to the active roster.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/18/25
Here are the latest practice squad moves around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Andrew Steuber
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Brandon Codrington
Carolina Panthers
- Released: S Israel Mukuamu
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: C Wesley French
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DE Viliami Fehoko, S George Odum, WR Eli Pancol, DT Chris Wormley
- Released: DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, TE Maximilian Mang, CB Troy Pride
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: OT Leroy Watson
New England Patriots
- Signed: DL Fabien Lovett Sr.
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR John Rhys Plumlee
- Released: S Jack Henderson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Velus Jones, WR Brenden Rice
- Released: TE Marshall Lang, CB Mike Reid
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: QB Adrian Martinez
- Released: RB Sincere McCormick
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Marcus Banks
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Lance McCutcheon, WR Kristian Wilkerson
Reeves-Maybin, the current NFLPA president, spent most of his career with the Lions but was released this offseason. He worked out with the 49ers in October and now returns to the NFC North with the Bears.
Odum began his NFL career in Indianapolis and is now returning to the Colts after a three-year stint with the 49ers. He will likely provide depth on special teams when elevated from the practice squad.
Kpassagnon, meanwhile, will be looking for his third team this season. He signed in Chicago this offseason to reunite with Dennis Allen, the Bears’ defensive coordinator and Kpassagnon’s former coach in New Orleans. He played 89 snaps across five games in Chicago before he was released. He then signed with the Colts’ practice squad, but did not make any appearances in blue and white.
The Seahawks signed Jones to their practice squad, but he was released the following day in a health-related move, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. Rice, the son of NFL legend Jerry Rice, will get to play for one of his father’s former teams. Jerry Rice played for the Seahawks during his last season in 2004.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/18/25
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed off Titans’ practice squad: CB Sam Webb
- Placed on IR: CB Dom Jones
- Waived: WR Kaden Davis
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: DT Perrion Winfrey
- Waived: LB Damone Clark
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: S Chris Smith
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: WR Calvin Ridley (story)
- Signed from practice squad: WR James Proche
Washington Commanders
- Waived: WR Jacoby Jones
After winning the Senior Bowl MVP in 2022, Winfrey entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Browns a few months later. He totaled 22 tackles and a half-sack in 13 games as a rookie. That proved to be Winfrey’s lone season in Cleveland, which waived him a few months after a misdemeanor assault charge in 2023.
Winfrey played in one game with the Jets in his second season before a stint with the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions last year. The 290-pounder earned All-UFL honors, leading the Cowboys to sign him in June, but a back injury forced him to IR in early September. Now that they’ve brought Winfrey back, the Cowboys have just three activations remaining.
Winfrey’s return comes at the expense of Clark, a Cowboy since they took him in the fifth round in 2022. The former LSU Tiger was a 17-game starter who racked up 109 tackles in 2023, but his playing time drastically fell off after that. While Clark appeared in eight of Dallas’ games this year and made two starts, 138 of his 217 snaps came on special teams.
The Cowboys swung a trade with the Bengals for linebacker Logan Wilson earlier this month and recently welcomed back fellow LB DeMarvion Overshown from injury. With those in-season reinforcements in the fold, the Cowboys deemed Clark expendable.
Nikhil Mehta contributed to this article.
Titans WR Calvin Ridley Out For Season
Calvin Ridley exited today’s game and he will not return this season. Titans interim head coach Mike McCoy announced the veteran receiver suffered a broken fibula. 
Ridley made a 10-yard catch early in Tennessee’s Week 11 game. It was immediately clear he suffered an injury on the play, however. Ridley managed to walk off the field but he was transported by cart from the sidelines to the locker room. The Titans ruled out a return shortly thereafter.
Testing has clearly revealed a major injury in short order. Today’s news ends Ridley’s second season with Tennessee and it will leave the team without a key veteran presence on offense. Entering Sunday’s game, Ridley had been averaging a career-best 18.1 yards per reception.
A third straight 1,000-yard campaign was not likely in Ridley’s case, but his absence will felt nonetheless. The 30-year-old had been a starter prior to today’s injury. The Titans elected to keep him in the fold instead of moving on via trade. Ridley’s attention will now turn to recovering in time for next season.
The former first-rounder is under contract through 2027. Ridley is already owed over $3MM in guarantees for that campaign, and he will receive a $1MM roster bonus in March. It would therefore come as no surprise if Tennessee decided to retain him through the offseason and have him reprise his role as a regular on offense despite a new regime being in place.
In the meantime, the Titans will move forward with a receiving core led by the likes of Elic Ayomanor and fellow rookie Chimere Dike. With Tyler Lockett having been released earlier in the year, this Ridley injury will leave the team short on veterans at the WR spot. Van Jefferson and tight end Chig Okonkwo will look to continue serving complementary roles through the remainder of the season as quarterback Cam Ward‘s development goes on.
Tennessee lost 16-13 to Houston in Week 11. That leaves the team at 1-9 on the year and 0-4 under McCoy. Expectations were already limited for the Titans’ offense in particular and their late-season outlook in general, but being without Ridley will deal a blow in both cases.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/15/25
Here are today’s minor NFL moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow’s slate of games:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed off Giants’ practice squad: DT Elijah Garcia
- Elevated: CB Cobee Bryant, S Jammie Robinson
- Waived: G Andrew Stueber
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed from practice squad: DT Taven Bryan
- Elevated: LB Chandler Martin, CB Amani Oruwariye
- Placed on IR: LB Jay Higgins
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: LB Krys Barnes, S Israel Mukuamu
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: DE Isaiah Foskey, RB Kendall Milton
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: DT Sam Kamara, LB Cameron McGrone
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: DT Matt Dickerson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: RB Amar Johnson, RB Trayveon Williams
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: K Harrison Mevis
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: CB D’Shawn Jamison, LB Mark Robinson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed from practice squad: DE Clelin Ferrell
- Elevated: CB Eli Apple
- Waived: QB Adrian Martinez
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: LB Nick Jackson, OLB Mohamed Kamara
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: S Mike Brown
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: RB Chase Edmonds, CB Tre Hawkins
With the 49ers set to see their starting quarterback return, Martinez’s presence on the 53-man roster is no longer necessary. He’ll likely find his way back to the team’s practice squad.
The Panthers’ two elevations, Barnes and Mukuamu, are direct reflections of injury absences for tomorrow’s game. With Trevin Wallace and Lathan Ransom ruled out for Sunday, Carolina made the decision to call up another player at each position.
Mevis will once again be called upon for kicking duties in Los Angeles. In his NFL debut last week, he was untested in terms of field goal attempts, but he converted all six extra point attempts in a blowout win in San Francisco.
Kamara in Tampa Bay is being called up for the third time this season. If the Buccaneers intend to play him in another game this year, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster, much as the Ravens did after Bryan exhausted all three of his standard gameday practice squad elevations.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/14/25
Today minor transactions as we head into the 11th weekend of the regular season:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed from practice squad: DT Kentavius Street
- Placed on IR: DT Sam Roberts
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: DT Pat O’Connor
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed from practice squad: RB Owen Wright
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: WR Bryce Oliver
The Buccaneers will see undrafted rookie running back Josh Williams miss the next six weeks after he was suspended without pay for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy, so Wright makes his way up to the active roster to reinforce Tampa Bay’s depth at the position.
Oliver has been out since suffering a knee injury in the Titans’ second game of the season. He was able to start practicing again by Week 6 but was still consistently ruled out for each game. He finally earned a “questionable” injury status in the final game before Tennessee’s bye week after three-straight limited-participation practices, and he held that status throughout limited practices this week. Ultimately, he was ruled out for the weekend, and his placement on injured reserve indicates that a setback may have occurred as he’s now guaranteed to miss at least four more games.