Only one team made a practice squad move on Friday, though more are sure to come on Saturday as others prepare their roster for Sunday’s slate.
Houston Texans
The Texans re-signed Huzzie to their practice squad after waiving him on Thursday.
NOVEMBER 7: Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort said (via Urban) he expects Murray to return this season. Whether or not he will reclaim the starting gig even if healthy is another matter, of course, and on that front Ossenfort added “a lot can happen” between now and when a decision may be required.
NOVEMBER 5: Headlines emerged Tuesday when Jonathan Gannon praised his team’s offensive direction under backup Jacoby Brissett, who will start in Week 10. But the Cardinals will have Brissett at the controls for much longer than expected.
Kyler Murray is heading to IR with his mid-foot sprain, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. This will sideline the Arizona starter for at least four games. It comes after some new information, per Gannon, who said (via AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban) he viewed Murray as having a chance to return in Week 10 previously.
The timing here is interesting, as Murray has been battling this injury since suffering it during the Cardinals’ Week 5 game. Gannon announced Murray was expected to return Monday night, but by Saturday, the team changed course and ruled him out. Tuesday morning, the third-year HC said nothing had changed with regard to the Cards’ QB depth chart. By Tuesday afternoon, Brissett was named the Week 10 starter — even if Murray could have dressed for the game.
Gannon was careful not to deem Murray benched when speaking Tuesday, as he pointed to the dual-threat passer needing to return to full strength. He repeated that today. Still, the Cards were seemingly ready to have Murray back for their Cowboys matchup. Days later, Brissett will be confirmed — barring injury — to end up starting for a sizable chunk of Arizona’s season. Brissett, 32, is tied to a two-year, $12.5MM deal.
Tuesday’s Murray update also brought a four- to eight-week return timetable. By placing him on IR, the Cardinals are veering toward the longer end of that recovery stretch. Surgery is not believed to be a consideration, but the former No. 1 overall pick’s rehab timeline will be extensive now that the IR move will be executed.
This will be the second IR stay of Murray’s career. He landed there in December 2022 because of the ACL tear he suffered. By the time he returned to action — midway through the 2023 season — the Cardinals had cleaned house, firing Kliff Kingsbury and GM Steve Keim. The Gannon-Monti Ossenfort duo, however, consistently praised Murray — chosen in Kingsbury’s first draft alongside Keim — and has stuck by him throughout its tenure. Murray, though, has not recaptured his Pro Bowl form from the Kingsbury years. This has led to speculation a Cards-Murray separation is coming in 2026.
Gannon’s praise for Brissett is certainly not unwarranted. As was the case during his 2022 Browns stopover, Brissett has run the offense better than the starter. Current Cardinals OC Drew Petzing was the Browns’ QBs coach while Brissett held the job during Deshaun Watson‘s suspension.
While Brissett has enjoyed an up-and-down career, five teams have asked him to be their starter — though, all of these assignments have been due to injuries or as a bridge option (for Drake Maye last season). Brissett is averaging 7.7 yards per attempt to Murray’s 6.0 this season, and the Cardinals are averaging 25.6 points per game under Brissett compared to 21.6 with Murray. This is still a small sample size, but Brissett’s 11-game sample under Petzing in 2022 did make him familiar with the offense coming into this season.
From a short- and long-term perspective, Brissett’s play over the next month will be interesting. While a Geno Smith/Baker Mayfield/Sam Darnold/Daniel Jones-like arc will be a bit difficult to envision here, Brissett faring well would give Gannon a decision to make when Murray returns to full strength.
Murray, 28, secured $32.84MM guaranteed of his $42.84MM 2026 compensation by remaining on Arizona’s roster back in March. If the Cardinals were to arrange a trade, Murray would count less than $18MM on their 2026 cap sheet. That could well become a front-burner conversation near season’s end, but for now, Murray will continue his rehab while on IR.
The Colts’ defensive line will be notably shorthanded for the time being. Head coach Shane Steichen announced on Friday DeForest Buckner will be placed on injured reserve. The move has since officially taken place. 
Buckner suffered a neck injury during Indianapolis’ Week 9 loss. This move ensures he will miss at least the next four games, but no timetable is in place for a return. Steichen added (via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall) the team is “hopeful” Buckner will be back in place later this season.
Being without the three-time Pro Bowler for any period will represent a major blow. Buckner missed five games in 2024 due to a high ankle sprain, and the Colts’ defense suffered without him. A similar situation could now be in store once again. Indianapolis’ defensive front will still have Grover Stewart for Week 10, but the unit will be missing several key figures.
Along with Buckner, Tyquan Lewis and Samson Ebukam remain out of the lineup. Their absences will be felt along the edge, especially with an impactful pass-rush presence along the interior missing. The Colts sit at 7-2 on the year, but improvements in the turnover department on offense in particular will be needed for a rebound from Sunday’s loss. There will be increased pressure on that side of the ball given the injuries Indianapolis is facing in the front seven. The likes of Adetomiwa Adebawore and Neville Gallimore will be in line for an increased role on defense moving forward.
Last offseason, Buckner and the Colts agreed to a short-term extension. As a result of that pact, he is under contract through 2026. The 31-year-old is scheduled to receive a $10MM roster bonus in March, something which will confirm his status as a key figure for next season. The Colts will hope to have Buckner back in place by the end of the current campaign, but his recovery from this latest injury will be worth watching closely.
Indianapolis will take part in the NFL’s first ever regular season Berlin game by taking on Atlanta Sunday. That contest will mark the debut of blockbuster trade acquisition Sauce Gardner in the secondary, a unit which could emerge as one of the league’s best depending on how he performs with his new team. In any case, the Colts’ defensive front will be thin for the time being.
Here are Thursday’s minor transactions:
Chicago Bears
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Las Vegas Raiders
Miami Dolphins
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Leal, a third-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2022, has failed to live up to his draft stock thus far in the NFL. After only seeing game time in three games this year, he’s been waived to make room for the defensive tackle Pittsburgh signed off of the Chiefs’ practice squad yesterday.
Huzzie, after spending much of his rookie season on the reserve/non-football injury list, is being sent to waivers. Should he clear them, it’s expected that he’ll return to Houston on a practice squad deal.
Today’s taxi squad updates:
Baltimore Ravens
Seattle Seahawks
Kane, a seventh-round pick last year, was waived after undrafted rookie Keondre Jackson proved to be a recent factor on special teams. Having cleared waivers, Kane’s back in Baltimore, but his rookie contract is gone.
The Cardinals signed Jeff Driskel to their practice squad, per a team announcement, adding a third quarterback to their team after playing Kyler Murray on injured reserve.
Driskel, 32, spent most of the 2023 season on Arizona’s practice squad. He was elevated for one game during the regular season but did not play. Last year, he played exactly one snap for the Commanders.
Originally a sixth-round pick by the 49ers in 2016, Driskel did not appear in a regular-season game until 2018 for the Bengals. He started five games that year, but spent the next four years with three different teams as a backup and third-stringer. He also started one game for the Browns at the end of the 2023 season.
2024 UDFA Kedon Slovis has been backing up Jacoby Brissett for a few weeks, but Driskel could take over relatively quickly due to his “experience and knowledge of the offense,” per CardsWire’s Howard Balzer. The seven-year veteran can be elevated from the practice squad for three games and would have to be promoted to the 53-man roster to be active on game days after that.
Driskel has appeared in a total of 25 games in his career with a 58.6% completion rate and a 79.4 passer rating. He does not offer much under center, and the Cardinals will be hoping that Brissett can stay healthy to avoid either Driskel or Slovis taking the field.
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Detroit Lions
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Washington Commanders
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
The Lions started the practice clock on a pair of players today. According to Justin Rogers of the Detroit Football Network, defensive end Josh Paschal returned to practice today. Meanwhile, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports that lineman Miles Frazier was also designated to return today.
Paschal has been sidelined all season while tending to a back injury that required surgery. A former second-round pick, the defensive end is coming off a 2024 campaign where he got into a career-high 549 defensive snaps. He finished last season with two sacks and eight QB hits.
He’ll likely settle into a rotational role when he’s ready to return to the field. Al-Quadin Muhammad has performed well playing opposite Aidan Hutchinson this season, meaning Paschal will have to compete with Tyler Lacy (and eventually Marcus Davenport) for any leftover reps.
Frazier is working his way back from a knee injury that landed him on PUP before the season started. The Lions moved up in this past year’s draft to select the LSU product in the third round, and they clearly have high hopes for the rookie. However, coach Dan Campbell cautioned that the Lions will slow-play Frazier’s practice window.
“No training camp, no nothing, so this will be a little bit of a baby fawn at the beginning and then he’ll quickly grow,” Campbell said today (via Tim Twentyman of the team’s website). “It’s a little bit like (Christian) Mahogany (last year). It took a while but once we got him, he just quickly grew with practice reps.”
Of course, the Lions could use Frazier’s versatility sooner than later. Mahogany is sidelined for at least the next month thanks to a broken bone in his leg, while tackles Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell both missed practice today as they nursed injuries. Per Twentyman, the Lions used their rookie lineman at both guard spots and right tackle during today’s practice, and Frazier’s ability to play multiple positions should help him see the field sooner than later.
A pair of Texans defenders are heading to injured reserve. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the team is placing cornerback Jaylin Smith and defensive end Darrell Taylor on IR.
Smith will miss at least the next four games while he nurses an undisclosed injury. The rookie third-round pick has played sparingly in 2025, getting into 31 defensive snaps and 78 special teams snaps in four games. The USC product was serving as a back-of-the-depth-chart boundary corner for Houston, and journeyman Tremon Smith will likely soak up any remaining backup snaps at the position.
Taylor has also barely seen the field during his first season with the franchise. The defensive lineman has gotten into four games, and he’s mostly split his 64 snaps between defense and special teams. The former second-round pick compiled 21.5 sacks in three seasons with Seattle before spending the 2024 campaign in Chicago. An ankle issue will sideline him through November.
Elsewhere in Houston, the team made some adjustments to their practice squad. According to Wilson, the team added kicker Matthew Wright and released tight end Dalton Keene.
Per Wilson, Texans starting kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn is dealing with a lower body injury that will put his status for Week 10 in doubt. Jonathan M Alexander of the Houston Chronicle is a bit more definitive with his report, noting that Fairbairn isn’t expected to play this weekend. The veteran is coming off a Week 9 performance where he connected on five of his six field goal attempts.
Wright is apparently the team’s solution to temporarily fill that spot. The Texans represent the veteran’s 11th NFL team, although he’s mostly been limited to cameos in his previous spots. In total, Wright has appeared in 31 career games, connecting on 87.5 percent of his field goal tries (56 for 64) and 95.6 percent of his XP attempts (43 for 45).
A former Patriots draft pick, Keene has spent parts of the past three seasons in Houston. He’s been limited to a single game during his Texans tenure.