Washington Commanders News & Rumors

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/10/25

Today’s NFL practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

Gipson is changing clubs for the third time this season after getting claimed off waivers by the Giants for the second time this year. After starting the season with the Jets and getting cut after a crucial fumble in Week 1, Gipson found his way across town to the other New York team. The Giants waived him after about two and a half weeks, and he was claimed by Philadelphia. His stint with the Eagles has been his longest with any team this year, but he’ll return to the Giants after getting waived once again.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/10/25

Here are today’s midweek minor moves:

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

The Texans’ offense is getting healthy at just the right time. Despite not making much of an impact in the passing game, Bryant started three of eight game appearances earlier this year for the Texans and returns to a thin position group. Watson is coming back from a 13-week absence and will hope to continue working his way into a new offense.

The Eagles waived replacement long snapper Cal Adomitis yesterday, so it stands to reason that Hughlett will find himself back on the 53-man roster soon. Hinton’s 21-day practice window closed today, so he’ll add insult to injury in Philadelphia as he reverts to injured reserve without the ability to be activated while still using up one of the team’s eight allotted activations, since they designated him to return before final roster cuts.

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels To Miss Week 15; Marcus Mariota Will Start

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels aggravated a left elbow injury in a loss to the Vikings last Sunday and will miss Week 15, head coach Dan Quinn announced (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic). Backup Marcus Mariota will start on Sunday against the Giants.

Daniels dislocated his elbow in a loss to the Seahawks on Nov. 2. The injury kept the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year out for three games. While Daniels returned in Week 14, he didn’t make it through the entire afternoon. The Commanders removed Daniels in the third quarter after Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers knocked him down blocking on an interception return.

Although Daniels landed on his elbow last week, he avoided any structural damage. Nevertheless, Commanders doctors advised sitting him against the Giants. At 3-10, it may make sense for the Commanders to shut Daniels down for the season, but that isn’t the plan right now.

“As far as what decisions are ahead, we havent gone down that road,” Quinn said (via JP Finlay of NBC4 Sports). “He’s working really hard to get back with the guys.”

After going second in the draft last year, Daniels started in every Commanders game during a resurgent season for the franchise. Daniels starred during a 12-5 regular season and helped the Commanders advance to the NFC championship game, which they lost to the Eagles.

Expectations were that Daniels and the Commanders would build on last season’s success in 2025. However, several key injuries have played a role in torpedoing their chances. Daniels has already missed six games as a result of knee, hamstring, and elbow ailments.

Losers of eight in a row, the Commanders will turn back to Mariota for at least another week. Mariota, also a former second overall pick, re-signed with Washington last offseason on a one-year, $8MM deal. The 32-year-old has completed 62.9% of throws with nine touchdowns, seven interceptions, 7.2 yards per attempt, and an 84.8 passer rating in nine games (six starts). As a competent backup, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Commanders re-sign Mariota again in the next few months, especially considering Daniels’ injury woes this year.

Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order

Week 14’s action brought about a few notable updates to the standings at both ends of the NFL’s conferences. Another four teams are officially out of playoff contention, while wins by Tennessee and New Orleans could prove to be rather important once the campaign has ended.

The Jets, Browns, Falcons and Commanders were eliminated from the postseason through the results of recent days. Of course, each of those teams have been out of the running for a playoff push for some time now. Still, that group will be worth watching closely over the closing four weeks of the season as the top-10 order for Day 1 of the draft gradually comes into focus.

Uncertainty regarding the quarterback class of 2026 will no doubt remain a talking point over the coming months. Fernando Mendoza strengthened his case to be QB1 in April’s draft, although it remains to be seen if other top signal-callers like Dante Moore and Ty Simpson will turn pro or elect to remain in school for one more season. Decisions on those fronts will be central storylines carrying significant implications for the teams near the top of the order which find themselves in need of a quarterback investment.

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 updated look at the first-round order:

  1. New York Giants (2-11)
  2. Las Vegas Raiders (2-11)
  3. Tennessee Titans (2-11)
  4. Cleveland Browns (3-10)
  5. New Orleans Saints (3-10)
  6. Washington Commanders (3-10)
  7. New York Jets (3-10)
  8. Arizona Cardinals (3-10)
  9. Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
  10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-9)
  11. Minnesota Vikings (5-8)
  12. Miami Dolphins (6-7)
  13. Baltimore Ravens (6-7)
  14. Kansas City Chiefs (6-7)
  15. Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1)
  16. Carolina Panthers (7-6)
  17. Detroit Lions (8-5)
  18. New York Jets (via Colts)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6)
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)
  21. Philadelphia Eagles (8-5)
  22. Houston Texans (8-5)
  23. Chicago Bears (9-4)
  24. Buffalo Bills (9-4)
  25. Los Angeles Chargers (9-4)
  26. San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
  27. Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
  28. Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
  29. Seattle Seahawks (10-3)
  30. New England Patriots (11-2)
  31. Los Angeles Rams (10-3)
  32. Denver Broncos (11-2)

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/9/25

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves in the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: LB K.C. Ossai

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: LB Nate Lynn, TE Cole Turner
  • Placed on IR: TE Joel Wilson

Washington Commanders

Giants punter Jamie Gillan is dealing with an injury, so they brought in several punters to try out on Tuesday. Johnston emerged as the best of the group and will be on hand for punting duties in Week 15 if Gillan is not healthy enough to play.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/6/25

Here are the minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations for the Week 14 Sunday slate:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Dort becomes Arizona’s 26th placement on injures reserve this year. The Cardinals’ receiving corps has been stretched thin with Marvin Harrison Jr. out with a heel injury and Zay Jones on injured reserve with an injured Achilles tendon.

Earning more and more responsibility over the course of his sophomore campaign, former undrafted free agent Roland-Wallace will unfortunately head to IR after starting in the Chiefs’ two most recent contests. As a roaming safety, he’s been functioning lately as a nickelback alongside the versatile pair of starting safeties behind him.

With Bosa set to miss this weekend’s game with a hamstring injury, Fox has been called up from the practice squad in Buffalo to help bolster a thin group of defensive ends.

Smyth gets the call again this week as the primary placekicker in New Orleans. He’ll be kicking in his second straight game following the team’s dismissal of Blake Grupe.

For Spector in Buffalo, this will be his third elevation this season, meaning the Bills will need to sign him to the active roster in order for him to appear in another game in 2025. The same is true of Turner in Denver, Hanson in Kansas City, and Banks in Tampa Bay. On the other side of that, Tindall in Arizona, Lewis in Jacksonville, and Cook in New York were all signed to 53-man rosters today after they used up their three allotted practice squad elevations.

Commanders Activate Noah Brown From IR

The Commanders continue to return to health on the offensive side of the ball. Noah Brown will be back in the lineup for Week 14.

The veteran receiver was activated from injured reserve on Saturday, per a team announcement. Brown has not been a full participant in practice this week, but head coach Dan Quinn predicted yesterday that he would be able to play against the Vikings. Today’s news ensures that will be the case.

[RELATED: IR Return Tracker]

Terry McLaurin was able to play in Week 13, and Jayden Daniels will make his return tomorrow. That will give the Commanders their highly productive QB-WR tandem late in the season, albeit far too late for a second straight playoff berth to be possible. Brown will look to resume his complementary role in the passing game upon returning to action.

The 29-year-old’s practice window was opened early last week, so Washington could have waited to activate him until after tomorrow’s game. Instead, Brown will be available for the first time since September. In 2024 – his debut season in the nation’s capital – the former Cowboy and Texan posted 453 yards and one touchdown on 35 catches. Matching that production will not be possible this year, but as a pending free agent Brown managing to serve a role of some kind down the stretch will be key in establishing his value.

In a corresponding move, the Commanders have waived fellow receiver Chris MooreIn 11 games this season, the veteran has logged a 55% snap share thanks to the absences of McLaurin, Brown and others. Moore will now hit the waiver wire and become a free agent in the event he clears.

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels To Return In Week 14

Jayden Daniels has continued to make progress in his recovery from a dislocated left elbow. Despite the Commanders finding themselves out of playoff contention, their starting quarterback will return to action this week.

Daniels has been able to practice this week, logging a limited session on Wednesday and a full one yesterday. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year was recently cleared for full contact, so it comes as no surprise he will be in place against the Vikings on Sunday. This will mark Daniels’ first game action since Week 9.

Questions were raised in the wake of that blowout loss about why head coach Dan Quinn kept Daniels and other starters on the field as long as he did. Since then, the Commanders have continued what is now a seven-game losing streak. Marcus Mariota has generally played well as a fill-in QB starter, but Daniels’ return will certainly be welcomed by all involved.

Washington’s offense has been beset by injuries through much of the 2025 campaign. Ending things on a high note would mark a positive for a team which has fallen well short of its performance from last year. Daniels will look to remain on the field for the closing weeks of the campaign and in doing so resume his strong connection with wideout Terry McLaurin. The latter returned to action during Monday night’s overtime loss to the Broncos, posting 96 yards and one touchdown along the way. Finishing the year with Daniels under center will help McLaurin’s chances of maintaining that production.

Daniels was never placed on injured reserve, but discussions did take place between team and player about shutting him down for the remainder of the campaign. Nevertheless, the 24-year-old is set to return to action for a Washington team which currently sits at 3-9 on the year.

In other injury news, Quinn said (via Tashan Reed of the Washington Post) that receiver Noah Brown and linebacker Bobby Wagner are trending toward playing this week as well. Both players have missed practice time in recent days, but their availability will be key. Brown remains on IR at this point, so having him in the lineup for Sunday will require an activation in his case either today or tomorrow.

Commanders Activate DE Drake Jackson From IR

The Commanders activated defensive end Drake Jackson from injured reserve, per a team announcement.

The team released safety Darnell Savage earlier in the day to clear a 53-man roster spot for Jackson. Savage appeared in three games this season with a rotational role in Washington’s secondary.

Jackson, 24, was a second-round pick by the 49ers in 2022. He appeared in 15 games as a rookie with decent production on a 33% snap share. He was on pace for better numbers in 2023 before a torn patellar tendon in Week 8 prematurely ended his season. The injury also sidelined him for all of 2024, and he was waived in May as San Francisco turned their attention to other edge rushers.

The third-year defensive end continued his recovery in 2025. Once he neared a return, he took visits with the Commanders, Jets, and Ravens in early October. He ultimately signed in Washington but was immediately placed on injured reserve to finish his rehab.

Jackson was designated to return to practice as soon as his minimum IR stint was up and is now set to make his 2025 debut on Sunday against the Vikings. He will add depth to an EDGE room that lost Dorance Armstrong to a season-ending injury in October. The Commanders will hope Jackson can reinforce a pass rush that has generated the fifth-fewest pressures in the NFL this season, though their sack and quarterback knockdown totals rank closer to the middle of the pack.

Commanders Expected To Waive DB Darnell Savage

2025 has seen Darnell Savage lose out on a starting job and change teams midway through the season. The veteran defensive back could be on the move once again in the near future.

Savage has asked to be let go by the Commanders, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. He adds Washington is expected to grant the request. Provided that takes place, Savage will soon find himself on waivers. Interested teams could add him via a claim; otherwise, he would become a free agent once again.

During training camp, Savage lost his starting spot in Jacksonville. By mid-September, the team’s new regime led by GM James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen elected to move on despite the guarantees remaining on his contract. That left Savage on the open market, and he quickly lined up a visit with the Commanders which produced an agreement.

During eight games in Washington, Savage has handled a defensive snap share of just 33%. The former first-rounder has struggled in coverage, allowing three touchdowns as the nearest defender while playing in the nation’s capital. That will hinder his chances of being claimed and no doubt deal a blow to his earning potential moving forward. Presuming Savage, 28, becomes available once more, it will be interesting to see if he lines up any suitors for the stretch run.

The Commanders have lost seven straight games, and at 3-9 the postseason is not a consideration for the team. Washington will look to the remainder of the campaign as an evaluation period for players in contention for a roster spot in 2026. Savage understandably does not fit that description.

The Maryland product has made 82 starts and 95 appearances over the course of his career. After Savage secured $12.5MM guaranteed in 2024, it is safe to assume he will not be able to match that figure during his next trip to free agency (whether it comes in March or before the end of the season).