Transactions News & Rumors

Colts Place WR Ashton Dulin On IR

Ashton Dulin suffered a hamstring injury in Week 12. The veteran receiver/special teamer will be sidelined for a notable period as a result.

Dulin has been placed on injured reserve, per a team announcement. He will thus miss at least the next four games. Dulin’s absence will deal a blow to Indianapolis’ special teams while also leaving the AFC South leaders thin in terms of receiver depth.

Special teams have been a strong point for the Colts in 2025. Dulin serves as their top gunner for punt coverage, so being without him for an extended period will be notable. The 28-year-old has spent his entire career in Indianapolis, and he missed the entire 2023 campaign due to an ACL tear. Dulin managed to play 15 games last season, though, and he landed a new deal as a result.

The former UDFA inked a two-year, $6.5MM pact in March to stay in place. Dulin secured $2.94MM guaranteed, a similar commitment to the one made by the Colts on his last contract. So far in 2025, Dulin has remained a rotational presence on offense with a 20% snap share, topping 100 receiving yards for the third time in a season. The NFL’s first and only Malone alum has also continued to operate as a regular presence on special teams, something he has done dating back to his rookie season.

To fill Dulin’s roster spot, the Colts have signed safety George Odum from the practice squad to the active roster. A veteran of 105 regular season games, Odum has yet to play this season. If he suits up over the coming weeks, however, he will no doubt do so on special teams as the Colts look to compensate for Dulin’s absence.

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.

Saints To Swap Kickers By Signing Cade York, Waiving K Blake Grupe

The Saints are making a change at kicker. Cade York is set to join the practice squad in New Orleans, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, and Blake Grupe will be waived from the active roster as a result, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

York won the Saints’ kicking job with a successful tryout on Tuesday morning, beating out disgraced former Raven Justin Tucker.

Grupe has had a tough season, his third in the NFL. He made just 10 of his 15 field goal attempts in the first five games of the year with one miss inside of 40 yards and two more inside of 50 yards. He bounced back in his next four games, missing only a 53-yarder and converting all three of his other tries.

However, Grupe regressed in Week 12 against the Falcons, missing from 38 and 47 yards to drop his conversion rate to 69.2% on the year, a significant drop from the 81.1% and 87.1% marks of his first two seasons. The Saints’ coaching staff decided they had seen enough and opted to make a change.

York, a 2022 fourth-round pick by the Browns, made 75% of his kicks as a rookie with five misses inside of 50 yards. The Browns released him during final roster cuts in 2023; he bounced around with a few teams but did not make any appearances that year. York eventually found his way back to Cleveland during the 2024 offseason but again failed to win the starting kicker job. He was traded to the Commanders to kick in Week 1, but missed both of his field goals and was released shortly after.

York was later picked up by the Bengals for five games, during which time he made nine of his 11 field goals and 13 of his 15 extra point attempts. Despite the bounce-back showing in Cincinnati, York did not receive any interest this offseason, but he will get a chance in New Orleans and could lock down the job for the rest of the year with a strong debut in Week 13.

Bills Sign DE Shaq Lawson

Shaq Lawson visited the Bills yesterday, and his workout clearly went well. A third Buffalo stint is in store to close out the season.

Lawson has signed to the Bills’ practice squad, per a team announcement. He could find himself in the lineup as early as Week 13 by signing to Buffalo’s active roster or by being made one of the team’s gameday elevations from the taxi squad. In any case, Lawson will provide depth along the defensive front on a team needing reinforcements in that area.

Buffalo has struggled against the run in 2025. The team has allowed an average of 149 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 30th in the NFL. Lawson will not be expected to handle a major workload upon rejoining the Bills once again, but he could provide an experienced depth presence up front. Similarly, the 31-year-old could chip in as a pass-rush contributor down the stretch.

Lawson played with the Bills from 2016-19 and then again from 2022-23. The former first-rounder has topped four sacks only once in a season during his career, but he has proven to be a consistent rotational contributor while racking up 110 appearances and 38 starts. Lawson’s last regular season game was his only 2024 appearance, which came with the Panthers.

Now, the Clemson product will join the likes of safety Jordan Poyer and wideout Gabe Davis as veterans brought back to Buffalo for 2025. The play of those three will be worth watching as the 7-4 Bills close out the season. Top spot in the AFC East will be difficult to attain this year, but a wild-card berth is still very much in play.

In a corresponding move, the Bills have released defensive end Andre Jones JrThe 27-year-old has made 16 regular season appearances in his career, all of which were with the Commanders in 2023 and ’24. Jones did not survive roster cuts with Washington this summer, and he landed with the Bills on their taxi squad before the start of the season. After not seeing any game time so far in 2025, he is now a free agent.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/24/25

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: OT Marques Cox

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Released: WR Jimmy Holiday

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/24/25

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Los Angeles Rams

San Francisco 49ers

The Bills should soon get some extra OL depth, as Grable returned to practice today. The former sixth-round pick landed on IR before the start of the season thanks to concussion symptoms, and that ended up keeping him off the practice field for months. Now, the Bills will have 21 days to consider adding the second-year player to the active roster. As a rookie in 2024, the UCF product got into four games (one start).

Commanders Open Noah Brown’s Practice Window; Latest On Jayden Daniels

The Commanders remain shorthanded on offense but at least one member of the unit could return this week. Receiver Noah Brown has returned to practice, per a team announcement.

As a result, Brown’s 21-day activation window has been opened. He can be moved from injured reserve to the active roster at any point during that time. The ninth-year receiver has been limited to just two games in 2025 and has been on IR since mid-October.

[RELATED: IR Return Tracker]

A groin injury has left Brown unavailable for much of the current campaign, his second as a member of the Commanders. The former Cowboys seventh-rounder was among the players who followed Dan Quinn from Dallas to Washington last offseason, a move which allowed him to continue operating as a complementary pass-catching presence. Brown totaled 453 yards in 11 games during his first season in the nation’s capital.

A similar showing in 2025 would have come as little surprise, even with the Commanders adding a new receiver starter in the form of Deebo Samuel. Instead, Brown has been sidelined most of the year, making only three scoreless catches to date. The 29-year-old is a pending free agent, so any production down the stretch would be key in his case.

Coming off their bye week, the Commanders are 3-8 on the year. After a surprise run to the NFC title game in 2024, things have regressed to a large extent for Washington. Attention down the stretch will turn in large part to the health of quarterback Jayden Daniels. Last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year is still dealing with the elbow injury he suffered late in the team’s blowout loss to the Seahawks.

Daniels’ non-throwing elbow was injured at that point, leading to Marcus Mariota taking over starting duties. The veteran is in line to make at least one more start for Washington. Quinn said (via The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala) Daniels is set to return to practice this week, but he noted he has not yet been cleared for contact. As a result, Mariota can be expected to handle QB1 duties in Week 13 against the Broncos.

Uncertainty has loomed over Daniels’ recovery timeline. Based on Quinn’s update, though, a return with some time to spare in the season will be a possibility. By the time Washington’s starting quarterback is in play to suit up, a better health situation at the WR spot could also be in store.

Saints Waive Brandin Cooks; Latest On WR’s Contract Restructure

NOVEMBER 24: As expected, Cooks has cleared waivers (h/t ESPN’s Adam Schefter). He is now a free agent.

NOVEMBER 23: The Saints have officially put veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks on waivers, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio passes along a few of the “contractual technicalities” that were referenced in prior reporting on Cooks’ impending departure, technicalities which held up the transaction.

Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football had reported that Cooks negotiated his contract downward to facilitate his exit, which appears to be true to a degree. Per Florio, the 32-year-old wideout gave up his right to $420K in termination pay, which would not have been offset by the salary an acquiring team will have to give him.

In exchange, the team that originally drafted Cooks increased his guaranteed pay for 2026 – the final year of the two-year pact he signed this offseason – from $1.69MM to $5.94MM. A team claiming Cooks off waivers would have to absorb his contract, so bumping up the guaranteed money on the deal makes it more likely he will pass through waivers unclaimed, thus making him a free agent and therefore able to sign with any team he wants (read: a playoff contender).

Of course, the perennially cap-strapped Saints would not willingly put themselves on the hook for more money for a player they are trying to remove from the roster, so the revised contract also created a window for New Orleans to cut Cooks in a way that absolves the team of its 2026 obligation to him. The problem, according to Florio, is that league rules specifically prohibit a team from modifying a contract to deter a waiver claim, which is precisely what the Saints have done.

However, it presently appears as if the NFL is allowing the waiver process to move forward. One high-ranking official with another club expressed shock at the league’s willingness to do so, and the NFL has not responded to Florio’s request for comment or clarification.

Absent some sort of about-face on the league’s part, it looks like Cooks and the Saints will achieve their desired outcome and Cooks will soon hit the open market. As our Connor Byrne noted in the story linked above, a number of contending teams – including the Bills, Broncos, and Steelers – were in the hunt for a receiver at the trade deadline but were unable to land one. They are among the clubs that could show interest in Cooks if he does, in fact, become an FA.

The former first-round pick has 19 catches for 165 scoreless yards in 2025.

Eagles S Andrew Mukuba To Go On IR After Ankle Surgery

The Eagles are expected to place rookie safety Andrew Mukuba on injured reserve after he fractured his ankle late in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, per Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Mukuba, 22, was a second-round pick (No. 64 overall) in April’s draft and immediately took over a starting safety job in Philadelphia. He has played 93% of the team’s defensive snaps this season with 46 tackles, three passes defended, and two interceptions.

Mukuba will require surgery and is not certain to return this season, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. He was carted off the field and had to be assisted into the locker room, per ESPN’s Tim McManus; after the game, he was wearing a walking boot and using crutches, according to Jeff McLaine of The Philadelphia Inquirer. To make matters worse for Philadelphia’s secondary, their other starting safety, Reed Blankenship, also left the game and did not return.

The injuries could put the Eagles in a tough spot. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio primarily uses two-high safety looks, and Mukuba and Blankenship have combined for 1,037 snaps as free safeties this season. The next-highest total on the team is 54 from backup safety Sydney Brown. He will step into a starting role with Mukuba sidelined, but if Blankenship misses time, Fangio will be scrambling for another option.

Philadelphia does not have another safety on their 53-man roster and only one on their practice squad. That would be second-year UDFA Andre’ Sam who has yet to play this season and did not appear on defense as a rookie. Veteran Marcus Epps is on injured reserve and will not be eligible to return for another week. Cornerback Cooper DeJean has the skillset to play safety, but very little experience in college or the NFL.

The Eagles’ next game is on Black Friday, giving them a short window to evaluate Blankenship’s injury and figure out a plan for their secondary. They may need to check in on available free agents and potentially host a few for workouts. Even if Blankenship is available for Week 13,

Rams To Sign LB Nate Landman To Extension

The Rams are signing linebacker Nate Landman to a contract extension, per an announcement from his agency, SportsTrust Advisors.

The deal is worth $22.5MM over three years with $15.6MM guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, a solid payday for the fourth-year linebacker, especially after signing a one-year, veteran-minimum deal in Los Angeles earlier this year.

Landman has started every game this year with a 93% snap share and a team-high 91 tackles playing alongside Omar Speights in the middle of the Rams defense. He also leads the NFL with four forced fumbles.

Landman, 27, is now under contract through 2028, giving him a long-term home after failing to find one this offseason. He signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and appeared in seven games as a rookie, primarily on special teams. In 2023, Landman stepped into a starting role alongside Kaden Elliss and finished third on the team with 110 tackles. Leg injuries at the beginning of the 2024 season briefly landed him on injured reserve, but he came back and recorded 81 tackles in 13 games, plus three forced fumbles for the second year in a row.

As a proven starter with a history of solid tackling and impact plays, Landman was expected to draw No. 2 linebacker interest in free agency this offseason. Instead, he took a $1.1MM offer from the Rams and earned himself 20 times that with his strong start this year. He could have played out the season to maximize his next contract, but the risk of injury, comfort in his new home, and relatively low career earnings as an UDFA were enough to motivate an early extension.

Los Angeles does not normally invest in the linebacker position, but Landman’s has undeniable appeal. His $7.5MM APY ranks 25th among linebacker contracts, per OverTheCap, an excellent value for a full-time starter. Six teams are paying one linebacker as least twice as much, while three teams have two linebackers earning at least $7.5MM per year. (The Bears fall into both categories.)

The Rams will now have Landman alongside Speights, a second-year UDFA, for 2026 and likely 2027, giving them an inexpensive linebacker duo and the financial flexibility to invest heavily in other parts of the roster. That will include extensions for Puka Nacua and the team’s young pass rushers. Los Angeles is still operating on a year-to-year basis with quarterback Matthew Stafford, and they could stand to invest in their secondary to bolster a pass defense that has not ranked better than 20th in the league since 2020.