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Vikings To Sign QB Desmond Ridder

September 16th, 2025 at 10:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Desmond Ridder‘s well-traveled NFL journey will include a trip up north. The Vikings are signing the former Falcons third-round pick, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report.

The Raiders did not tender Ridder as a restricted free agent this offseason, and the Bengals did not retain him following roster cuts last month. But Ridder will head to Minnesota following J.J. McCarthy‘s ankle injury. This is an active-roster deal, as Ridder will join UDFA rookie Max Brosmer in backing up Carson Wentz in Week 3. Ridder worked out for the Vikings today, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets, joining Dorian Thompson-Robinson in doing so.

Since March 2024, Ridder has now been with five teams. The Falcons traded him to the Cardinals straight-up for wide receiver Rondale Moore. Arizona, however, waived the primary 2023 Atlanta starter that August. Ridder joined the Raiders off the Cards’ practice squad in late October and made a start for the team. As Las Vegas overhauled its front office and coaching staff yet again, Ridder was not deemed a priority. He then signed with the Bengals, only to not make their 53-man roster out of training camp.

Ridder’s 18 NFL starts notwithstanding, this makes for an odd Vikings QB depth chart. With McCarthy on the mend, Minnesota’s healthy QB options will include a rookie UDFA and two players acquired recently. The Vikes signed Wentz on August 24, doing so upon trading Sam Howell to the Eagles. Wentz will be expected to start against the Bengals this week. With McCarthy far from certain to be ready for Week 4, it is not out of the questions Minnesota holds him out through its Week 6 bye. The Vikings face the Steelers and Browns in Weeks 4 and 5.

Ridder has certainly not impressed as a starting option. The Falcons reversed course on their Ridder call in-season, benching him at points for Taylor Heinicke. This came after the team refrained from a QB search — including what would have been a fruitless push for the then-franchise-tagged Lamar Jackson — and an aim to build around Ridder’s rookie deal. In 2024, Atlanta gave Kirk Cousins a lucrative deal and then drafted Michael Penix Jr. in Round 1. In between, the Ridder-for-Moore swap occurred.

This addition would give the Vikings some cover in the event Wentz is injured or struggles mightily. After all, the one-time MVP candidate-turned-journeyman has been with the Vikings for less than a month. The team retained Brosmer at last month’s roster-setting deadline, rather than risk putting him on waivers en route to the practice squad, but it might be a tall order for the rookie UDFA (out of Minnesota) to step in as a starter. With Ridder just joining the team, he would certainly be limited if asked to leapfrog Brosmer in relief of Wentz.

Jaguars Release DB Darnell Savage

September 16th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Losing a battle for a starting job in his second Jacksonville offseason, Darnell Savage no longer appears in the team’s plans. The Jaguars released the veteran DB on Tuesday, per a team announcement.

The Jags will take on nearly $10MM in dead money by dropping Savage, who had been tied to a three-year, $21.75MM contract. The team’s Trent Baalke-Doug Pederson regime, however, authorized that deal. The Liam Coen-James Gladstone partnership has moved off a few notable contracts held over from the previous staff, and the duo has bid farewell to Savage.

As a vested veteran, Savage will pass straight to free agency. The 2019 Packers first-round pick entered the season having started 82 games, having played both safety and the slot cornerback position as a pro. This offseason brought a three-year, $30MM Jourdan Lewis contract, however, leaving Savage to compete for the safety post Andre Cisco vacated upon signing with the Jets. Andrew Wingard, however, beat out Savage for that job.

The Jags have used Wingard and free agency addition Eric Murray as their starting safeties through two games. Savage played just 36% of Jacksonville’s defensive snaps in that time. Pro Football Focus graded him as a bottom-five safety in that short span. The team still has Antonio Johnson — who joined Wingard and Savage in the above-referenced training camp competition — and sixth-round rookie Rayuan Lane as backup options.

Savage secured $12.5MM guaranteed at signing last year, giving him considerable security. This came after he played out a five-year Packers rookie contract. That tenure involved a 2022 benching, and while Savage rebounded to a degree in 2023, Green Bay let him walk as a free agent. While Jacksonville pounced, that fit proving short-lived will force the 28-year-old DB to look for another landing spot.

Last season, Savage split time between safety and slot corner. PFF ranked him as a bottom-five safety in 2024. Even with the Jags losing Cisco, the Murray signing set up a competition. Wingard, despite coming off an injury-marred season, prevailed in that matchup. As a result, a former No. 21 overall pick becomes an interesting early-season free agency option.

Jets Add CB Nik Needham To Practice Squad

September 16th, 2025 at 8:54pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jets have added some veteran depth to their secondary. The team announced that they’ve signed defensive back Nik Needham to the practice squad. To make room, the team released kicker Harrison Mevis.

Needham burst onto the scene as an UDFA with the Dolphins in 2019, when he collected 54 tackles, 11 passes defensed, and a pair of picks. He settled into more of a part-time role in 2020 and 2021, although he still hauled in another four picks between those two seasons.

The defensive back started five of the first six games for Miami in 2022 before a torn Achilles ended his season early. When he returned in 2023, he was relegated to a bottom-of-the-depth-chart role, and he got into only a pair of games in 2024 while spending most of the campaign on the practice squad. Needham joined the Browns this past offseason before getting cut at the end of the preseason.

Michael Carter suffered a shoulder injury on Sunday that could put his Week 3 status in doubt, so Needham provides the organization with some extra veteran depth. Rookie third-round pick Azareye’h Thomas and 2024 fifth-round pick Qwan’tez Stiggers would likely get the first shot to soak up any leftover CB snaps.

The Jets weren’t finished. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the team also worked out veteran cornerback Arthur Maulet. The veteran spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons in New York, starting 11 of his 23 appearances.

Texans Sign DB Jalen Mills To Practice Squad

September 16th, 2025 at 8:14pm CST by Ben Levine

Jalen Mills is back in Houston. After being included among the team’s final preseason cuts, the veteran defensive back is signing with the Texans practice squad, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Mills brings plenty of experience to Houston’s taxi squad, as the 31-year-old has made 115 regular-season appearances during his career. A former seventh-round pick, Mills evolved into a full-time starter during his time in Philly, where he hauled in five interceptions across five seasons. After being limited to 17 combined games between 2018 and 2019, Mills rebounded with a 15-game showing in 2020.

Mills inked a four-year, $24MM deal with the Patriots ahead of the 2021 campaign and ended up spending three years with the organization. He was a starter through his first two seasons in New England but settled into more of a rotational role in 2023, when he collected 45 tackles in 17 games (eight starts).

He joined the Giants last offseason but didn’t make it to the regular season with his new squad. He joined the Jets in late September and proceeded to start eight of his nine appearances, tallying 44 stops, six passes defended, and one interception. He suffered an injured collarbone in December that ended his season prematurely.

Mills joined the Texans this past August but was cut by the team only a few weeks later. Mills brings some familiarity with DeMeco Ryans‘ defense, as the veteran is coming off a 2024 campaign where he played under Robert Saleh, another member of the 49ers coaching tree. The Texans will likely be counting on Mills to provide that veteran savviness during this current stint with the team, where he’ll serve as depth behind C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Calen Bullock, and M.J. Stewart.

To make room on the practice squad, the Texans cut wide receiver Silas Bolden and offensive tackle Jaylon Thomas, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/16/25

September 16th, 2025 at 7:42pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed: LB Malik Hamm

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Commanders

  • Signed: G Tyler Cooper, WR Tay Martin
  • Placed on IR: G Darrian Dalcourt

The Steelers added a notable wide receiver to their taxi squad in Isaiah Hodgins. The wideout bounced between the Giants practice squad and active roster in 2024, but he’s not far removed from a stretch between 2022 and 2023 when he hauled in 58 catches for 622 yards and seven touchdowns. He’ll be joining a group of practice squad WRs that includes Rakim Jarrett and rookie Ke’Shawn Williams.

Speaking of the Giants, they added a veteran linebacker in Neville Hewitt. The 32-year-old has appeared in 146 games in time with the Dolphins, Jets, and Texans. His best season came with New York in 2020, when he compiled 134 tackles and a pair of sacks. He mostly saw a special teams role while in Houston, but he rebounded in 2024, tallying 59 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles in 17 games (four starts).

NFL Minor Transactions: 9/16/25

September 16th, 2025 at 7:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: LB Maema Njongmeta (off Bengals practice squad), C Nick Samac (off Ravens practice squad)

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

Vikings To Place RB Aaron Jones On IR

September 16th, 2025 at 4:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Minnesota’s action-packed transaction day now includes a significant IR move. As it turns out, the Cam Akers signing will foreshadow an Aaron Jones trip off the active roster.

The Vikings are placing their starting running back on IR, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He suffered a hamstring injury against the Falcons, joining J.J. McCarthy in encountering a significant setback in the loss. This could well precede an Akers trip back to Minnesota’s active roster. For the foreseeable future, though, it will be Jordan Mason operating as the Vikes’ starting RB.

[RELATED: Vikings To Sign QB Desmond Ridder]

Jones re-signed with the Vikings on a two-year, $20MM deal — a raise from last year — after posting his fourth NFL 1,000-yard rushing season. The former fifth-round Packers pick has been one of the league’s better backs since debuting in 2017, and he played a lead role in the Vikings’ 14-3 showing last year. Jones’ 1,546 scrimmage yards came close to toppling his career-best mark, and he played a full season for the second time this decade.

At 30, however, Jones is on the older end of the RB spectrum. Injuries can be expected, though this will only be his second IR trip. The Packers placed Jones on IR due to a knee injury in 2018. While Jones has missed time since, he has avoided any IR stays during his run as a well-paid RB. Jones played in at least 14 games in all but one season from 2019-24. In the year he did not hit that threshold — an 11-game 2019 — the dynamic RB powered the Pack to a divisional-round berth.

Jones missed time in 2023 due to hamstring and MCL maladies; upon return, he submitted one of the best stretches of his career. Jones rampaged for five straight 100-yard rushing games between Week 16 and the divisional round. His three rushing scores led the Pack to a stunning wild-card rout of the Cowboys in Round 1 that year. That came after the Packers reduced his 2023 pay. After Jones balked at another Packers pay-cut attempt, they released him. The Vikings received considerable value on their subsequent one-year, $7MM agreement, but their two-year re-signing is not off to a strong start.

Minnesota saw Jones go down during a Week 2 loss to Atlanta. This came after the team gave Mason a substantial Week 1 role, moving this backfield to a committee setup after Jones worked as the clear leading man in 2024. Mason is also on a two-year deal (worth $10.5MM), but both players’ 2026 guarantees stand at $2MM. That will give Minnesota some flexibility on Jones, who may well need to submit a strong finish to an already-injury-marred season to return for a third Vikings slate. Mason is all but certain to be on the team’s 2026 roster, and the ex-49ers backup has a long runway to prove himself now.

This will mark the second straight year Mason is needed to replace a 2017 RB draftee early in a season. Christian McCaffrey‘s Achilles trouble kept him off the field to start last season, and Mason shined as a fill-in. Mason did end his 2024 season on IR due to a high ankle sprain, but he drew a second-round RFA tender from the 49ers. That became a precursor to a March trade.

Akers’ experience in Kevin O’Connell‘s system should matter, but the team will likely lean on the offseason trade acquisition while using Akers and Zavier Scott (one career game) as backup options. Akers is on the Vikes’ practice squad but can be elevated three times without a corresponding roster move being necessary.

Vikings To Re-Sign RB Cam Akers

September 16th, 2025 at 3:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

For a third straight year, Cam Akers is joining the Vikings. The frequent Kevin O’Connell charge is heading back to Minnesota on a practice squad deal, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports.

O’Connell, who coached Akers from 2020-21 as Rams OC, traded for the former second-round pick in 2023 and ’24. After failing to make the Saints’ 53-man roster, Akers is rejoining the Vikings.

The Vikings ended Akers’ strange Rams stay in September 2023 by trading a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick for him. That did not end up conveying due to Akers’ second Achilles tear. Despite that injury’s impact on running backs, Akers again drew Vikings interest in 2024. Months after signing with the Texans, Akers ended up back in Minnesota in a deal involving a swap of 2026 Day 3 picks. This transaction will be simpler, but Akers’ recent past points to having earned trust from this particular coaching staff.

Both O’Connell and OC Wes Phillips were on Los Angeles’ staff when the team drafted Akers in the 2020 second round. Although Akers and Sean McVay did not see eye-to-eye following the Florida State alum’s first Achilles tear (July 2021), he has fans in Minnesota.

Last season, Akers usurped Ty Chandler as Aaron Jones‘ top backup. Adding onto his early-season Texans work, Akers finished with 444 rushing yards on 104 carries last season. Despite a November 2023 Achilles tear, he suited up for 18 games last year.

Chandler remains under contract, having helped the Vikes defeat the Bears in Week 1 as O’Connell instructed him to run a fourth-quarter kickoff out of the end zone to ensure Chicago could not use the two-minute warning timeout to its advantage, but landed on IR before Week 2. O’Connell said Jones is unlikely to suit up next week due to a hamstring injury, creating this need. The team does, however, have Zavier Scott in place as an active-roster option. The former UDFA out of Maine, however, has played in one career game and has yet to handle an NFL handoff. Akers would make more sense as a Mason backup, which would bring a role reprisal.

Losing Jones deals a blow to O’Connell’s offense, but Akers’ experience would stand to soften it. Although the retooling Saints did not deem Akers — who caught on after a minicamp tryout — worthy of a roster spot, it will be interesting to see if the Vikes elevate him from their practice squad for Week 3.

Bengals To Promote QB Brett Rypien

September 16th, 2025 at 1:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bengals have a pair of new passers on the practice squad. Brett Rypien is, to no surprise, now in position to handle backup duties behind Jake Browning.

Rypien is being promoted from the taxi squad to Cincinnati’s active roster, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Browning is set to handle starting duties while Joe Burrow recovers from toe surgery. Rypien will now take on QB2 responsibilities with Mike White and Sean Clifford on the practice squad.

Rypien has 10 regular season appearances and four starts to his name at the NFL level. The 29-year-old saw time with the Broncos for three seasons before spending last year with the Rams. Rypien inked a futures contract with the Vikings in January, setting him up to spend the offseason in Minnesota. Shortly before the campaign, however, the team made a number of QB moves.

That included the decision to trade away Sam Howell and sign Carson Wentz for the backup gig. Shortly after that took place, Rypien was released. The Boise State product had a short-lived stint on the open market, quickly signing with the Bengals on their practice squad. Burrow’s latest injury has now opened to door to a stint on Cincinnati’s active roster.

The Bengals sit at 2-0 to begin the year. The team’s offense is of course in danger of seeing a downturn in production without Burrow, however. While Browning prepares to take on the starting gig for the foreseeable future, Rypien will serve as the next passer in line.

Bengals To Sign Mike White, Sean Clifford

September 16th, 2025 at 8:41am CST by Adam La Rose

In need of quarterback depth, the Bengals have moved quickly in finding a pair of additions. Mike White and Sean Clifford are heading to Cincinnati.

Both players have agreed to a deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. To no surprise, these will be practice squad arrangements in each case. White and Clifford’s addition come one day after it was confirmed Joe Burrow will require toe surgery. The Bengals will thus be without their starter for at least three months.

In the wake of that news, head coach Zac Taylor said the team would be active in seeking out a free agent signal-caller. Jake Browning is in position (once again) to fill in for an injured Burrow. Brett Rypien found himself on the Bengals’ practice squad for Week 2, but he is a candidate to be promoted to the active roster with Burrow sidelined. He, alongside White and Clifford, will now compete for the QB2 role.

White has made 15 appearances and seven starts in his career. His first ever start took place against the Bengals in 2021, and it was part of a four-year run within the AFC East. The former fifth-rounder was with the Jets for 2021 and ’22, and he followed that up with single campaigns in Miami and Buffalo. White was among the Bills’ roster cuts this summer, leaving him on the open market through the beginning of the campaign.

The 49ers hosted the 30-year-old last week in the wake of Brock Purdy‘s injury. No deal was worked out in that instance, but the opposite has proven to be true in the case of the Bengals. White and Clifford will be eligible for a gameday elevation as early as Week 3 (presuming neither of them are promoted to the active roster in the coming days).

Clifford, a Packers fifth-rounder in 2023, made a pair of appearances during his rookie season. He remained in place last year but did not see the field. This summer, the Penn State product was waived during roster cuts. Clifford went unclaimed and thus became a free agent in time for the start of the season. After not being linked to any suitors in September, he has now landed an opportunity with the Bengals.

Cincinnati sits at 2-0, but the loss of Burrow will deal a blow to the team’s chances of remaining among the AFC’s top contenders as the season progresses. Browning will play a key role in guiding the offense for the foreseeable future, but it will be interesting to see how the Bengals’ backup competition shakes out.

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