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Vikings Place LB Blake Cashman, RB Ty Chandler On IR

September 11th, 2025 at 2:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

Blake Cashman‘s Week 1 hamstring injury made him a candidate for injured reserve. A month-long absence (if not longer) is indeed now in store for the veteran linebacker.

Cashman was placed on IR Thursday, per a team announcement. As a result, he is now set to miss at least the next four games. Minnesota also placed running back and kick returner Ty Chandler on injured reserve.

Cashman split his first five seasons between the Jets and Texans, becoming a full-time starter in 2023. The Eden Prairie native then signed with his hometown team last offseason and again operated as a first-team regular, setting new career highs in several categories along the way. Cashman handled 43 defensive snaps before getting injured on Monday.

The Minnesota product is in line to remain a key figure at the second level of Brian Flores’ defense when healthy. That will not be the case until at least Week 7, however, given the timing of the Vikings’ bye. In the meantime, the team will move forward with veteran Eric Wilson as a fill-in starter. Cashman is on the books through 2026, although none of his salary for that year is guaranteed.

A quick return to action will therefore be key in that situation, and the same is also true of Chandler. The former fifth-rounder has seen sparse usage on offense over the course of his Vikings tenure, but he has been an important special teams contributor. That includes his work in the return game; on Monday, Chandler ran back three kickoffs for a total of 84 yards. The 27-year-old is a pending free agent.

The Vikings’ fourth-quarter comeback in Week 1 led to a win. They will aim to improve to 2-0 against the Falcons on Sunday night, but Cashman and Chandler’s absence will be felt.

Commanders Rework LT Laremy Tunsil’s Deal

September 11th, 2025 at 12:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

Laremy Tunsil‘s contract has been reworked early in the campaign. The Commanders restructured their new left tackle’s contract on Thursday, per Spotrac.

$18MM of compensation which was scheduled to be paid out as a base salary has been converted into a signing bonus. As a result, the Commanders have created $14.4MM in cap space for the 2025 season. Three void years were added to Tunsil’s pact, which is set to expire after the 2026 campaign.

None of the five-time Pro Bowler’s base pay for that year ($21.35MM) is guaranteed, even after today’s restructure. Tunsil’s level of play on his third career team over the coming months will thus be critical in determining his future. Washington acquired the 31-year-old via trade this offseason in an effort to bring about improvements up front during quarterback Jayden Daniels‘ second season.

Tunsil has started each of his 126 appearances in the NFL, and that will continue tonight against the Packers. The former Dolphin and Texan is expected to deliver high-end play on the blindside for 2025, and doing so would allow for 2024 left tackle Brandon Coleman to sustain his new spot at left guard. The Commanders’ top pick in this year’s draft – Josh Conerly Jr. – is currently handling right tackle duties but the Oregon product is seen as an option for the LT gig in the future.

Moving on from Tunsil next offseason would pave the way for Conerly to take on the left tackle role for 2026 and beyond. Such a decision has not been made any more difficult since today’s move did not add any new (real) years to Tunsil’s pact or include any future guarantees. Meanwhile, the Commanders entered Thursday fourth in the NFL in cap space, and they will move up to second with roughly $45.2MM in available funds once this Tunsil restructure is taken into account.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/10/25

September 10th, 2025 at 8:32pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s taxi squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Released from practice squad/injured list (with injury settlement): WR Jalen Reagor

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

With regular punter Tress Way in danger of missing this week’s Thursday Night matchup in Green Bay with a back injury, Washington has signed the former 49ers veteran as insurance.

NFL Minor Transactions: 9/10/25

September 10th, 2025 at 7:54pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s mid-week minor NFL transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Blount will reportedly be on injured reserve for the remainder of the season after Sunday’s neck injury. After colliding with a ball carrier at the same time as rookie linebacker Cody Simon, who suffered a concussion, Blount was seen in a neck brace after the game.

After Jets head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters that “players who made costly mistakes would not stay on the field,” per Brian Costello of the New York Post, Gipson has been waived from the team. In a close loss to the Steelers, Gipson coughed up a costly fumble. Williams will come up from Cincinnati, and his experience as a return man may hint at how New York might address the loss of Gipson.

The Steelers see two key backups hit injured reserve as they make room for Jabrill Peppers and Pierre. Harrison followed Patrick Queen this offseason as the second linebacker to make the move from rival Baltimore in as many seasons, but he didn’t have an established role on the Steelers defense yet. Thompson joins rookie sixth-round pick Will Howard on IR. Practice squad passer Logan Woodside now stands as QB3 behind Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph.

Texans Place TE Cade Stover On IR, Promote Harrison Bryant

September 10th, 2025 at 5:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

Cade Stover will be unavailable to the Texans for an extended period. The second-year tight end was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, per a team announcement.

Stover suffered a broken foot in Week 1, so today’s move comes as little surprise. He will now miss the next four games at a minimum. Houston’s tight end depth had already taken a hit with Brevin Jordan being lost for the season.

Now, the position will be even thinner through the early portion of the campaign. Stover made a team-high four catches in Week 1 as the Texans struggled on offense, and he was in line to continue operating as a key figure in the passing game. In his absence, veteran Dalton Schultz will take an an increased role. Stover, whose rookie contract runs through 2027, will aim for a midseason return to the lineup.

The Texans entered Wednesday with a pair of tight end options on their practice squad. As expected, the team is taking the internal route to replace Stover. Veteran Harrison Bryant was promoted to the active roster in a corresponding move to Stover’s IR placement. Bryant has been in the fold since he was included in the John Metchie trade.

That swap prevented the 27-year-old from seeing any regular season time with the Eagles despite signing with them in free agency this spring. Bryant played out his rookie deal with the Browns and took a one-year pact with the Raiders in 2024. The former fourth-rounder has 78 appearances and 33 starts to his name, so he will add experience (but a limited pass-catching presence, based on his production over the past two seasons in particular) to Houston’s offense.

Houston will be part of a doubleheader on Monday night during a game against Tampa Bay. As the team looks to bounce back from its Week 1 loss, the tight end position could be one to watch closely.

Packers Sign Christian Watson To Extension

September 10th, 2025 at 4:46pm CST by Ben Levine

SEPTEMBER 10: The base value of Watson’s new deal is $11MM, ensuring roughly $13MM in total compensation across the next two seasons (h/t Ian Rapoport of NFL Network). $6MM in new guarantees are included, all in the form of a signing bonus. A $1.85MM roster bonus is present for 2026 as well.

SEPTEMBER 9: Christian Watson continues to work his way back from a torn ACL suffered during the 2024 regular season finale. While the Packers wideout isn’t expected to take the field until at least next month, the team is still rewarding him with a new contract.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Packers have signed Watson to a one-year, $13.25MM extension. The receiver was set to play the 2025 campaign on the final year of his rookie deal, but this extension will now keep him in Green Bay through at least the 2026 season. According to Schefter, the Packers wanted Watson to focus on his return from injury in 2025 vs. his impending free agency, leading to today’s deal.

A former second-round pick, Watson spent his rookie campaign playing alongside Aaron Rodgers, with his nine touchdowns and 691 yards from scrimmage still representing career-highs. He’s spent the past two seasons serving as one of Jordan Love‘s key targets, but Watson has yet to truly break out like the organization may have expected.

The receiver averaged a career-high 46.9 yards per game during the 2023 season, but he was limited to only nine appearances thanks to a pesky hamstring issue. He got into a career-high 15 games last season, but he was limited to a career-low 41.3 yards per game and 47.2 success rate. Watson suffered a torn ACL in Week 18, and considering the timing, it was always expected that his recovery time would leak into the 2025 campaign.

That ended up being the case, as Watson landed on the PUP list to begin this season. He’ll be forced to miss the first four games, but there’s a chance he’s back shortly after he becomes eligible. The last we heard, Watson was a candidate to return as early as Week 5, but considering the team’s receiving depth, the Packers may not feel any urgency to immediately get him back on the field.

That depth has also clouded Watson’s future in Green Bay, although today’s one-year extension is somewhat a vote of confidence. Watson finished the 2024 season as the fourth-most targeted WR in Green Bay, and each of the three wideouts ahead of him —Dontayvion Wicks, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs — are still on the roster (not to mention TE Tucker Kraft, who has emerged as one of Love’s favorite weapons). The team also added rookie first-round pick Matthew Golden and rookie third-round pick Savion Williams to the squad.

Notably, Watson is the oldest player in the receivers room. While his extension gives him a better chance of carving out a long-term role with the Packers, it seems likelier than not that the 2026 campaign could be his final season in Green Bay.

Steelers Add Incentives To Cameron Heyward’s Deal

September 10th, 2025 at 1:37pm CST by Adam La Rose

SEPTEMBER 10: Heyward’s incentive package is split evenly into two parts, as detailed by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. $1.6MM will be earned if Heyward records eight or more sacks and the Steelers reach the playoffs. The remainder will be earned if he posts at least 11.5 sacks and Pittsburgh wins one or more playoff game.

Heyward has hit the eight-sack mark six times in his career, the most recent coming in 2024. He has reached 12 sacks only once in a season (2017), so maximizing these incentives would come as a surprise. Per Florio, Heyward’s scheduled 2026 roster bonus of $12.95MM will drop by $875K in the event he plays less than 30% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps this season; he has surpassed that workload every year since his rookie campaign.

SEPTEMBER 6: A last-minute resolution has emerged in the case of Cameron Heyward and the Steelers. The All-Pro defensive lineman has agreed to a restructure.

Specifically, the Steelers and Heyward worked out a compromise through incentives covering the 2025 season. Additional potential earnings have been added for the coming campaign, as first reported by Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Incentives worth $3.2MM tied to playoff games and wins are now in place.

Heyward was originally owed $14.25MM in total for the 2025 campaign. As a result of today’s agreement, he can top out at $18MM this year. The 15th-year veteran made it known this summer he was seeking a raise in the wake of a strong showing last season, and he suggested a regular season holdout could take place in the absence of a deal. Yesterday’s comments on the matter implied Heyward would face the choice of missing Sunday’s contest or playing on his existing pact, but that will no longer be the case.

The Steelers have a policy against negotiating extensions during the season and have historically avoided redoing deals with more than one year remaining. Heyward is on the books through 2026 as a result of last year’s extension, something which led to the expectation no agreement would be reached. The team has nevertheless managed to work out a short-term compromise which could see his compensation move closer to the top of the defensive tackle market.

Negotiations on a new contract last offseason proved to be a lengthy process, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirms Heyward was giving serious thought to sitting out tomorrow’s game without a restructure of some kind being worked out. The seven-time Pro Bowler is now assured to be in place against the Jets in Week 1. Another highly productive season would help a Steelers defense which faces increased expectations based on the team’s busy offseason.

Heyward was limited to 11 games and just two sacks in 2023. He rebounded last year, though, playing every game and notching eight sacks. Those figures helped lead to the fourth first-team All-Pro nod of his career and increased his leverage in seeking a short-term bump in compensation. Even if Heyward reaches his $18MM ceiling in earnings for 2025, that will fall short of what 16 other defensive tackles average per year based on their current contracts.

Of course, at the age of 36, Heyward was not in a position to approach the top of the position’s market on a restructure or an agreement adding new years to his pact. The path to a marginal raise is now in place, however, and attention for team and player will turn to the regular season.

Texans Sign DL Tommy Togiai To Extension

September 9th, 2025 at 8:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Tommy Togiai is sticking in Houston through the 2026 season. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the Texans have signed the defensive tackle to a one-year extension.

After spending the first two-plus months on the Texans practice squad to open the 2024 campaign, Togiai was signed to the team’s active roster last November. He ended up getting into eight games for Houston, collecting 28 tackles and 1.5 sacks. The lineman inked an extension last year that kept him in Houston through the 2025 campaign.

Togiai stuck around on Houston’s offseason roster and made the Texans initial 53-man squad. The 25-year-old was inactive for the team’s season opener, with Sheldon Rankins, Tim Settle, Mario Edwards, and Folorunso Fatukasi garnering the snaps at defensive tackle. However, the team still clearly believes enough in Togiai to commit to him beyond this year.

According to Wilson, the lineman’s new contract could hit a max value of $3.3MM in 2026. That’s a significant pay raise, as Togiai is earning $1.2MM this season. Edwards is the only one of the aforementioned DLs attached to a 2026 contract, so Togiai’s new deal may indicate that the player is in line for a larger role next season.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/9/25

September 9th, 2025 at 6:44pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Today’s practice squad transactions are highlighted by the release of a veteran running back. Nyheim Hines has been looking to revive his career since he missed the 2023 season thanks to a leg injury sustained in a jet ski collision. Since he was released by the Bills after that campaign, he’s spent time with the Browns and Chargers without getting into a game. A former fourth-round pick, Hines had four productive seasons with the Colts to begin his career, including a 2020 campaign where he compiled 862 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns.

NFL Minor Transactions: 9/9/25

September 9th, 2025 at 6:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Waived from IR: CB Cameron McCutcheon

Tre Hawkins was waived/injured at the end of the preseason and reverted to IR, meaning he wouldn’t be able to play during the 2025 campaign. After agreeing to an injury settlement today, he’ll now have an opportunity to take the field elsewhere. The former sixth-round pick started three of his 17 appearances as a rookie, but he was limited to only three games in 2024 thanks in part to a season-ending fractured lumbar spine injury.

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